Let's tessellate
by Heart of Summer
Summary: This is a coellction of moments that Mulan and Aurora experience on their way to find an save prince Philip. During their journey they get to know each other on a whole other level... and realize that feelings between two women does not always have to be platonic. Hearts can change with time.
1. Learn

_Go alone my flower  
>And keep my whole lovely you<br>Wild green stones alone my lover  
>And keep us on my heart<em>

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><p>.<p>

"I'm not so sure about this, Aurora."  
>Aurora smiled at the mention of her name. Every time the female warrior let her name sweetly flutter off her lips a little thorn, like the ones that had once hid her sleeping form away from the rest of the world in, tickled her heart. It was painful yet somehow enjoyable, this sting from a bush filled with treacherous roses. She found herself preferring the flowers Mulan had told her about one dark night by the fire. Light pink ones that blossomed for only a week, before their petals would start raining down like snow in your hair. She remembered the name in Chinese…<br>"Yīng huā…" she whispered it quietly to herself, loosing herself in a daydream where she would stand inside the forest made up of only those pink trees, the petals burying her under a light carpet of fallen flowers.

"What are you saying Aurora? Are you sleepwalking again?" Aurora blinked and realized Mulan was gripping the side of her arms, her face a little bit too close for comfort. She felt her cheeks flush as she shook her head, quite violently. The hands let her go, but Mulan's almond-shaped eyes still studied her with a slight sharpness of worry in them.

"N-no!" she managed to stutter. "I was just thinking of the possibilities… of this road being the right one." She felt a little relived. They were standing at a crossroad and they knew they were getting closer to finding the horrible monster that had stolen their prince away. The forest had grown darker by each day and the trees had started losing their leaves. Soon there would be nothing but black, deformed hands clawing up at the sky above them. Aurora shivered at the thought.

"Well, I tried using the magic in the sword, but… I'm not sure it's right."

"Mulan, it's a sword not a compass…" Aurora teased, rolling her eyes.

"I'm aware." Mulan grumbled. They were in the middle of the dark woods, dodging werewolves, trolls and a handful of mean pixies and Aurora still found a way to get on her nerves; and being charming while doing so. It was hard to believe if you had not experienced it firsthand.

"I think I'm getting used to the dark," Aurora said and even though she had a hard time making out Aurora's features in the darkness, Mulan could almost hear her smiling. Mulan grumbled an answer and led them down the path in the dark. Now she just went with the one that felt wrong, out of place. The one that felt like there might be an evil soul sucker on somewhere further down.  
>Aurora was close behind her; she could hear the rustling of her skirts. The princess' movements had grown quieter with each week and now she was barely audible. It had helped that Mulan had used her sword to cut the hem shorter. But Mulan always listened for those little tells that assured her that her companion still kept her pace.<p>

The moonlight sipping through the trees made her think of being underwater, and even though she tried to avoid the places where the trees stood further apart she wished she could pull Aurora out into the moonlight and just… watch her.

"It's so beautiful…" Aurora said as if she'd heard the warrior's thoughts. "It's as if when the light touched something it wakes up and become alive anew." Mulan sighed, looked around and decided it would be a good a place as any. It was early morning anyway, and if they were to get some sleep before dawn it might as well be now.

"Let's spend the night here", she murmured. And she was sure she could hear Aurora smiling again.

They did their duties which they had now both grown into. They did them every morning and each night. Aurora packed up the tent and put out blankets; Mulan picked out stones and branches and made up a fire. A fire scared animals and magical creatures; which were much more common out here than any human. They took the chance to boil their water and cook their food for an hour or two, and then they would let it turn into nothing but glowing embers that would keep their fingers from growing stiff with the cold. When they sat down to drink their soup made on herbs, rabbit and wine Aurora smiled into the coals and said:

"I never had much of an idea of how it is to be married, but I'm guessing it will be something quite close to this…" Then she closed her eyes and took another sip. Mulan felt a warm blush settle on her neck. She had been thinking something along those lines, but knew that if Aurora thought this then she was in the wrong. Mulan knew these would all be Aurora's duties once she became married. And if she became a queen she would not have to do anything. Mulan did not know what the princess would like the least. Having to do everything, or not having to do anything at all.

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><p>.<p>

"I still don't think it's a good idea."

She side stepped as Aurora threw herself to attack. Mulan turned around and smacked Aurora's behind with the flat side of her sword. Aurora gave up a loud gasp, grasped her bottom with both hands and blushed furiously.

"Mulaaaaan! That is no way to treat a princess!" She huffed and Mulan knew that had her hands not been caressing her buttocks they would be balled up into small fists. She couldn't stop herself from laughing at the princess behind the shelter of her own glowed hand.

"Well princess, that is what any man who gets the chance will do to you! You've got to be quick enough to prevent it. Cut his hand off."

Aurora's eyes grew big as boulders and her hands flew to her mouth in horror.

"Cut it off?" she whispered in fearful astonishment. Mulan stopped smiling and explained.

"No, I mean cut his move off before he-" she trailed off when Aurora kept looking at her like she'd just told her she was biologically a man. Mulan started laughing, not able to hide it this time. Of course she really should get used to cutting people's body parts off if going into battle, but Aurora was so unlikely to hurt a fly in Mulan's eyes that it was a ridiculous thought. She'd seen her wanting to slash Snow's throat that one time, but she still believed Aurora was driven by kindness. So she believed she would not have cut Snow back then, but she knew that the princess did have it in her. And with some guidance; could learn. She went back to the basics of body language, the way Aurora would've been taught when she was growing up.

"Look… You've been taught to dance, right?"

"Well… yes…"

"Think of it as dancing. Two steps forward, once step back. One hand for balance and one hand on your partner; which in this case is your weapon."

Aurora stared as if Mulan spoke in her mother tongue.

"Look, I'll show you. Take my hand."

Aurora looked at Mulan like she was asking the impossible, but she still let her hand into hers. She could hear every breath coming out of the princess' mouth and it made her fingers tingle. Mulan pulled her sweetly closer to her as she spoke kindly.

"Look, you take one step towards me, and look how close we are. You could put that sword into me without me being able to see it." Aurora blushed and moved the sword, but Mulan's hand, holding her sword, was on top of hers. "But I can feel it. Your muscles tense up and you… well, you blink."

"I do?" Aurora said surprised and blinked again. Mulan nodded, before taking a step back. Then she tugged at Aurora again, and when the princess stepped close, the warrior stepped back.

"Like that. You have to be aware of your opponents every movement. You can't miss a moment or you might get cut." They stepped back and forth a few times, then Aurora stepped to the side and Mulan followed. It was as if their bodies worked in perfect harmony despite their opposites. The grass rustled under their bare feet and the wind was sweetly pulling their hair. Mulan noticed all of that and more, while trying to ignore Aurora's eyes filled with wonder. She felt like she was being evaluated.

"Mulan, you must be an amazing dancer," Aurora said in a sweet voice. Mulan swallowed hard.

"Not in particular." She made sure to stare at Aurora's chin, just to make sure she wasn't pulled in by those eyes.

"I don't believe you..." She teased softly.

"This is about you learning to fight Princess. Stay focused, will you?" Mulan tried to scold her, but the princess only giggled.

"But you lead so well, it's like dancing with a man!" Mulan huffed a little but said nothing. "Okay, so if I can disarm you, you'll dance with me?"

"That won't happen," Mulan said sternly. She gripped her sword tighter. That's when Aurora took a step back, and right when the warrior followed Aurora took a step forward instead, coming so close that their noses almost touched. Mulan felt her face grow hot as she tried to step away, catching her breath. That's when Aurora kicked her feet out from under her and put the blade of her sword to Mulan's side. Half on the ground, Mulan stared at her in amazement.

"You see, I usually do anything to get what I want." Mulan's stomach fluttered as Aurora dropped her sword, took her hand and pulled her up to her feet again. "You just have to put the right price in front of me." Then she leaned into Mulan and whispered into her ear, teasingly;

"Now dance with me, my noble warrior." Mulan shook her head, but did as the princess asked. Twirling her around in her skirts, they danced to the music of the birds, the wind and their own laughter. Soon Aurora would start humming a melody from faraway lands and Mulan could for a moment forget the quest they were on. She wished she could be that noble warrior forever.

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><p><strong>AN: I was working on this for a couple of days, and well, there's more where this come from. But I need a few more stories in between, so be patient with me.**

**If you like it, there'll definatly be more. Let me know! ;D**


	2. Search

_Triangles are my favorite shape  
>Three points where two lines meet<br>Toe to toe, back to back, let's go, my love; it's very late  
>'Til morning comes, let's tessellate<em>

_._

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><p><em>.<em>

The small village was a beautiful place filled with tiny, white houses.  
>The gravel on the road crunched under their boots as they walked by a small butcher shop.<br>"No one seems to be awake yet…" Aurora said and stifled a yawn. The sun is just rising behind them, and the anticipation of early spring morning is hanging in the air.

"It hardly looks like anyone's here. Maybe they were all brought to Storybrook too." Mulan doesn't answer her at first. She was sure there would still be people left this far off.

"Mulan," Aurora almost whined, pulling at her skirts. "Why are we even here?"

"Just…a hunch. A courageous woman I once met told me that if I ever needed information this was the place to go…" Mulan heard Aurora stop in her tracks.

"A courageous wom-…? What kind of woman?" Mulan turned to face the princess.

"She saved my life. And Philips." Aurora's face turned from white to pink in the morning glow.

"I demand that you tell me at once about all of this!" Mulan looked at her in disbelief.

Aurora felt like huffing and puffing someone's house down. If not the entire village. Not only was Mulan not willing to tell her about this woman, but she had called her courageous! Aurora's heart was thumping painfully in her chest. How could she have helped Philip when Mulan couldn't? Aurora knew immediately she could never measure up to that.

"She was the one who introduced us, actually… In a way." Mulan shrugged. Aurora was about to go off the wagon, so to speak, completely un-princess-like, when suddenly the windows across the street flew open and a happy;

"Bonjour!" was heard across the street. It was soon answered by a few others (Bonjour, bonjour, bonjour!), and while the two companions stood looking all around them, the streets suddenly had people on them. Not as many as it probably had once been, but people all the same.

A woman with a baby on her arm walked past them, giving Mulan an angry stare, as if she should be ashamed walking around with a sword that her baby could get poked by. A baker walked past with a tray filled with fresh bread. Aurora's mouth watered at the smell, and she dug in her bag for a few copper coins.

"Excuse me, baker!" The fat man turned around, smiling with his red apple cheeks at the princess.

"Yes, mademoiselle? What will it be?" Aurora smiled back, and pointed at a kind of long bread that smelled of something lovely and spicy, it tickled her nose in a lovely way.

"Oh, how much are those long ones?"

"Ooh, the baguettes? Two coppers would be enough." Aurora pulled two out and accepted the long bread. She curtseyed and then turned around, striding towards Mulan with it tucked under her arm. Mulan took her hand in her gloved one and pulled her with her down the road.

"Why did you spend your money? We have enough. We can hunt."

"Well, I haven't had bread in ages. This smelled amazing! What are those spices?" Mulan threw a glance in her direction, then smiled.

"You've never had garlic?"

"No, never."

"It's a kind of tiny onion. Salty and full of flavor. My mom used it in some dishes back home in my village."

"Can we have breakfast when we've found this person?" Mulan nodded as they walked through a tiny square with a fountain in the middle.

"Sure. We'll get some butter to have on it too, or cheese. You'll like that." Aurora felt her thumb stroke against the back of her hand.

"If you say so…" Suddenly they were in front of and old little store. On the outside there was a sign with an open book painted on it and with big, black letters written above. Mulan stopped and looked back at Aurora.

"We're here."

Mulan reached out for the door that only came to her knees and pushed it open. The golden bell chimed happily above their heads, announcing their arrival. Someone obviously heard it since there was a loud thud, and after that someone that shouted:

"Give me a minute, just a minute! I've managed to build myself inside the geography section again!"

"Mulan…" Aurora said with a little gasp. The shop was filled with books of all shapes and sizes, all around the walls. The princess walked towards one of the shelves, looking like she was planning on climbing up the ladder that was built into it.

Mulan turned around and saw books standing on the window sill. She let her fingertips touch their spines as if they were treasures. She had never seen this many books in one place. Her village was more into paper scrolls, and not so much owning other people's written words. The stories of your elders were the most important gift that could be passed on to you. To honor them you were expected to learn these stories by heart and then pass them on yourself, through generations to come. That's why books were somewhat of a hidden treasure.

"Sorry, sorry…. Aah. Newcomers. How may I help you?" Mulan turned around to see an old man with a white goat beard, a white apron and a pair of glasses resting on his hawk like nose. He looked sturdy, calm and trustworthy even if he was very short. Mulan knew immediately that they had found the man they'd been looking for. She gave a bow and opened her mouth to speak, but the man was holding up a hand and laughing.

"Wait, let me guess." He turned to Aurora. "What are you looking for? A tale of a beautiful princess perhaps? Or the latest fashion, designs made by mice?" He winked at her and laughed. Aurora just looked at him in disbelief.

"There are books about those kinds of things?" The man smiled kindly and nodded.

"Miss, they are books. There are books about absolutely everything you can ever imagine. Worlds beyond compare, all hidden in the pages. Truths and dreams." He threw his arms up into the air to emphasize his point. Then he laughed again and turned to Mulan.

"But by the looks of it you might need my help with something else entirely. What do you need, my dear?"

Mulan had a hard time finding her voice. Her fingers were aching with wanting to reach for the closest book and explore its' content.

"I was sent here. By Belle." Mulan paused when the man looked at her in disbelief. "She said you would know who she was if I only mentioned her name…"

"Oh, I know who she is," clucked the old man, somewhat sadly. He took off his glasses and rubbed them with the corner of his apron. "But I haven't seen or heard from her in a long time. Last I heard she was actually owned by a terrible beast; the Dark One."

"Then you'll be happy to know she's free, but unfortunately she was moved with a big portion of the fairytale land." Mulan said, wishing she could bring the man some good news. "But she was a courageous woman back when I met her, and I bet she is just fine."

The man put his glasses back on and smiled even kinder.

"Oh, I would very much agree with you. Though I'm glad to hear that she managed to get away from that monster. I've read many books that have got villains based on his inhumane acts. But if it's one thing I'm sure of, it's that Belle is the only person who could see beauty where everyone else had lost the hope of finding it."

Mulan smiled at the memory of the cursed Prince Philip. "She did have a way of looking past the monster and seeing what's hiding on the inside." She turned to look at Aurora, who was gazing at her with an unreadable expression on her face. When Mulan met her eyes, she abruptly turned away.

"Yes, she surely did. Well, I will do my best to help you find what you're looking for, if you'll just tell me." The warrior nodded.

"Well, you see our… friend. Well, Prince Philip, has been robbed of his soul… it's a dark hooded creature that mark people and suck out their souls to survive… but we think there is a way, maybe, to return the soul since we still have his body." She took a deep breath. "This must sound a bit crazy, but we really do believe-"

"Let me stop you right there." She looked up to see the old man scratching his white goatee. "I've heard of these creatures, and read of them too. They are called different things in different stories. Cloaks, Dementors, Banshees… But I know just the right book for you. Just give me a moment." Then he disappeared behind two bookshelves like it had been an invisible door.

"She sounds really nice…" Aurora mumbled and made Mulan turn around to face her. The princess was cradling a book in her arms, a book with a dark blue cover, like the sky on a summer night without the stars. She opened it and Mulan saw flashes of colorful images painted upon the pages.

"You mean Belle?" Mulan asked. Aurora just nodded. It was something in the way Mulan seemed to remember this Belle. As if… as if … Aurora couldn't even form the words in her mind, they were too unlikely, to crazy, to… dirty for a princess to even know the existence of. But that didn't stop the immediate sickening feeling she had in her chest. Like the memory of this girl formed a solid shape and had placed itself neatly on top of Aurora's chest, trying to prevent her from breathing properly.

Mulan walked over to her, putting her finger in-between the pages, stopping Auroras constant flapping of them. She flipped the page and then let her hand go across the beautiful drawn picture of a woman hiding under a bush, with a prince in front of her and a huge white castle in the background. The corner of the page was ripped off, like some animal had been eating on it.

Mulan's fingers went to feel the rough edge of the ripped paper and met Aurora's fingers there. They both looked up and realized they were mere inches from each other. Mulan could feel Aurora's curls tickling her cheek and she could see the sweetness of the princess' cheeks as they turned light pink.

"I found it, ladies…" the man said. They both broke apart, Mulan nodded and made a noise of approval. He was standing still and this made her feel awkward, since he'd probably witnessed their closeness. It was in his knowing smile, somehow.

It was strange though. Mulan could still feel the smell of Aurora on her skin. When she'd first been woken up she'd smelled heavily of roses, roses like with the thorns which of that she'd been imprisoned. But now she smelled of lavender, almonds and fresh dirt, like the woods. It was a strange thing to realize that someone's smell can change like that.

"This is only four copper coins, this one." He smiled and showed them a leather bound, black book. It was small in size, with a golden emblem that looked like the shape of a man on the front. Mulan nodded and hurried up to pay the man.

"I also have a great deal of books about courageous female warriors and their princesses from a place in ancient times called Greece… " He mumbled, giving Mulan a little wink. Mulan quickly put away her book and straightened up.

"No thank you, we'll be just fine…!" Then he noticed the book in Aurora's hands.

"Oh. That used to be Belle's favorite. I got it back through someone who raided the Castle after the Dark One had disappeared. I gave it to her." He smiled sadly. "It has the most wonderful stories."

"Do you have something like it?" Aurora asked, a glimmer in her eyes, filled with the hope that a new story can give you.

"You know, I know just the book…" He went to the window and pulled out a green little book with a Tree etched into the leather frame. "It's a collection of fairytales from different places. It's got everything." Aurora accepted it with careful hands and looked at it lovingly.

"Thank you. How much do I owe you?" The man just smiled and shook his head.

"You know, with that look you have on your face I couldn't charge you for it. It might help you two get your minds of the hard task ahead. Stories can help us understand the world we live in, but also offer us a kind of escape from it all the same, for a few minutes." He nodded slowly. "Now I wish you two the best of luck in finding your… Prince. And…" he scratched his beard. "Make sure to cherish what you have while you're looking. If the result is not what you wished for, at least you will have the memories of the hope the two of you shared."

Mulan and Aurora thanked the old man profoundly. Aurora even shook his hand three times before they were out on the street in the sunlight again. The princess was clutching the book to her chest, anticipation across her face.

"Let's go get some fresh butter to put on this bread," Mulan said, thinking about the words of the old Book shop owner.

"Well, hello there. And who might you be, shining this place up?" Mulan's hand was on the hilt of her sword as she turned around to see a huge, well built man in front of Aurora. His red shirt looked like it might burst open since his chest was so wide. He had a long black ponytail and looked like he was gonna eat Aurora for breakfast.

"Oh, I'm just passing through," she told him, trying to get past.

"But don't rush. I'm sure I can find you a reason to stay." The man raised his eyebrows and smiled. Three girls walking by actually sighed at that. Mulan started walking over there when Aurora did something surprising.

"Oh, I hardly think that's possible. Besides, I already have a warrior to take care of me, what else could I need?" She swiveled past the man, walked to Mulan and hooked her arm to hers and threw him one last, cold; "Goodbye." Then she started walking, bringing Mulan with her like nothing had happened.

"I really can't wait to read this book," she mumbled happily. "I can read aloud to you tonight at dinner!" Mulan just looked at her in shock, and then smiled silently.

"I would like that very much, Princess."

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**A/N: It'll be a few more chapters. I have the last chapter written, but it's the in between parts that are taking some time to fill out ;P So please forgive my slow writing!**


	3. Sing

_Bite chunks out of me  
>You're a shark and I'm swimming<br>My heart still thumps as I bleed  
>And all your friends come sniffing<em>

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"We'll reach the caves tomorrow."

It had been two weeks. Mulan had tried warning herself that the endlessness of their closeness would have to change as soon as they found prince Philip, but every time she caught Aurora's eyes on her she would feel her heart flutter in her chest. Like there was an anxious butterfly caught in a spider's web that the princess' flick fingers had woven between her hollow ribcage. A warrior like Mulan had been taught to ignore all feelings of the body. The soul was the part of you that was to be controlled and when you had that, the body could easily be tamed. But it was as if her soul had finally met its' match, in the most unlikely of places.

Aurora turned to Mulan and tried to catch her eye. It was hard, but she'd noticed that if she studied the warrior for some time, she would stop, look over at her and smile a little. As if she couldn't help herself.

"Do you think we're ready?" She crept closer to Mulan, just an inch, since the woods had grown darker with each step closer they came to their goal. Mulan noticed it, and nervously, like a young man in a tavern for the first time, reached her arm behind Aurora and started tapping on the log they were leaning against. Aurora only took this as a sign to lean even an inch closer, and she didn't know why exactly, but her boldness made her breath a little heavy and her knees tingle.

"Uhm… yeah, yes." Mulan swallowed her trembling breath and told her body to stay still. Her other hand touched her sword, which helped her mind clear a little bit. "You've become an alright fighter, and you didn't scream your head off when that wolf came yesterday."

"I knew he wasn't going to hurt us, I could see it in his eyes," Aurora huffed in response.

Mulan shook her head at that. "Well, he sure had me fooled with his growling." Mulan had been ready to draw her sword when she's heard Aurora's surprised yelp behind her. But Aurora had immediately after called on her to stay still. The wolf had approached the princess with his silver eyes. They had studied her up and down, and then growled as he'd seen Mulan.

"Look down, don't meet its' eyes." Aurora had told her in a calm, steady voice. Mulan had trusted her without hesitation, a first, and only seconds later the growl was gone.

Mulan had heard the princess, to her surprise, sing to the wolf quietly. A song that sounded like an old fairytale in itself. The leaves seemed to join in, and the rest of the world was holding its' breath. And when she'd finished the wolf had let out a sigh and an empty little howl, before Mulan had heard it trot away into the deep forest. She had not looked up until she heard the princess move again.

Mulan remembered all this as she sat close to Aurora now. The princess who sang with wolves. The more she got to learn about the princess, the more in awe she felt by her side.

"How come you trusted the wolf not to hurt you?" she asked now. Aurora shrugged.

"I just knew. It was in his eyes. And my mothers once told me a story about a wolf that wasn't a monster by choice, but was forced into that shape and driven to defend itself against people who was scared of tales of creatures like it."

"Nothing is what you assume it is at first sight." Mulan said this with weight in her voice. Aurora looked at her and knew this might be the only time she would have a chance to ask the warrior.

"How was your life before this?" She did not know how to put it better, since she had a million and one questions, but she knew that if she asked too much Mulan would shut her out.

Mulan sighed and looked into the crackling fire, burning out slowly in front of them.

"Well…I was always more interested in helping out at home than becoming a lady and get married, which was expected of women in my village. It was not until my dad used my family's money to buy me Khan that I accepted that I could find love and be myself at the same time." She threw a long look at her faithful horse that was eating a little outside the light of the fire. "Khan means prince, and I named him that because in reality he was all the prince I needed. But at the same time it was my duty to honor my family." Aurora could see her eyes drift away.

"My dad had been injured in the previous war, so when the army came to call again, he was not well enough to go. But my father was a man of integrity and honor, and he believed that he would serve his king until his last breath. But of course, my mother and I felt differently. We both tried to tell him to stay, that there were enough young men that would fight. But he wouldn't listen, and in our part of the world the woman is supposed to be quiet and obey the man and elder of the house." Aurora looked at Mulan in slight disbelief. She couldn't imagine her taking orders from anyone.

"That must've been excruciating." Mulan looked over at the princess for a second, and smiled with her eyes, painfully at first but then with warmth.

"It was. I couldn't stand the idea of him dying and leaving our family with nothing. I had been deemed unfit for marriage earlier that day, and so, I realized, I had to risk my own life for my family's, just like my father was ready to do for our king." Aurora swallowed at this.

"I cut my hair, stole my father's sword and armor, and left to fight his battle dressed as a man." She paused to let the truth of it all sink in, and Aurora knew it was almost unheard of, a woman dressing up as a man, trying to fight a war that she had no place in. But she respected Mulan for her decision, and it made perfect sense. It was a choice not many but Mulan could do. Risking everything for someone she loved.

"I managed to fool everyone for a long time. I became friends with some of them, and I… fell in love with a man there…" Aurora flushed, her eyes feeling a little too sharp. She looked down at Mulan's booths. Of course she had fallen in love with someone. Being surrounded by honorable men she was bound to find one to fall for. And Mulan was so respectable and honest and true… Aurora banned herself for thinking it, but if she had met Mulan as a man, she too knew she would have fallen for her. And even though it was an unthinkable thought that she, almost laughing, showed out of her train of thoughts, were that she believed some men there probably had too. Mulan had been quiet for some time when Aurora swallowed her strangely fiery feeling of jealousy for those boys, and mumbled:

"Tell me about him." Mulan smiled at the memory, although it felt strange sitting next to Aurora. She knew after all that Chang had been someone she needed to be in love with at the time. He was her trainer, she was only sixteen and he was the safest point in her life of worries for the other men. She was scared they would find her out, rape her, kill her… She wanted to believe her friends wasn't capable of such a thing, but you heard what kind of people men turn into when they are put in a place of power and a uniform. And she had lied to them all this time, being treated as an equal.

"He was a nice man. He was kind and strong and fair. He was also my trainer and the leader of the troop." Aurora pictured him and Mulan fighting in perfect movements and then suddenly, him taking a hold of her neck and kissing her. Aurora squeaked and felt her face grow red. Mulan turned to her.

"You okay?" Aurora huffed, embarrassed, trying to get the image of Mulan's parting lips out of her mind. It was impossible.

"Uhm, yes. Just, what happened?" She gulped. "Did… did he kiss you?" It was Mulan's turn to blush.

"Well, uhm, no. He thought I was a man." Aurora huffed, feeling like a stubborn child.

"Well, that shouldn't have stopped him." Mulan turned to stare at the princess, eyes wide and mouth slightly open. Aurora met her eyes and blushed harder, just when her red cheeks had started to go back to their original pinkishness.

"It shouldn't have!" Mulan kept staring. "I mean, you're gorgeous!" Aurora looked away at that and Mulan felt like she had been pierced by a sword. "He must've been tempted! It's not completely uncommon you know. And you can't control your body."

"Yes, you can." Mulan spoke up. "Tame your soul and your body will come with it." The princess snapped her head up and looked back at her with piercing eyes.

"Well, I take it back. You might be able to control your body. But you can never control your heart." They looked at each other for a long time. Soon the anger left them, like steam, and they just looked into each other's eyes, searching for an answer to a question they had hardly dared to mutter in the depths of themselves. Mulan was the one who broke contact. She knew what was happening to her. Sure Chang had been a man to look up to and fantasize about, but nothing had happened. What was happening to her now was something she had only heard from old legends whispered to her from her grandmother as she was still a baby. There were tales of people meeting and immediately knowing that it would be like losing the sun if not being able to be close to the person in front of them. Of people living thousands of years in different lives and in every lifetime they would find one another. People who made mountains move when they touched.

It felt like that inside of Mulan, every time Aurora looked at her. And the princess was right. It was impossible to fight.

Aurora leaned back and made sure that her leg was touching Mulans'. She enjoyed the warriors quick gaze and how the nervous tapping behind her back started up again. She had to choke a smile.

"What happened?"

"He found out that I was a man. I was hurt protecting my army and… I had to be treated by a medicine man. I think he forgave me though." Aurora was fighting between being intrigued and being jealous.

"Why?" Mulan smiled again.

"My friends accepted me, even though I was a woman. He didn't at first. But then I killed the leader of our enemies and saved the king." She blushed a little at that. "So he was kind of forced to change his thinking."

Aurora was mesmerized. "You saved everyone?"

"Not by myself. I had a lot of help!" Mulan pushed some of her hair that had escaped from behind her ear. "I was looking forward to coming home so much. Telling my parents about everything… meeting nana again…" She felt her nose tingle. It was that burning sensation in her throat. She didn't want to cry. She knew that if she started she wouldn't be able to stop.

"On my way I met Philip. We rested with the people of that small town, with Lancelot for a few weeks before heading out to find you and then my family. He wanted to help me since I was helping him. And then time stopped, in a way, and people disappeared."

Aurora put her hand on Mulan's knee. It was a natural way to comfort, but Mulan turned into rock. The princess gave her a little squeeze before removing her hand and watching the warrior relax a little.

"I'm sorry." Mulan smiled.

"It's not your fault. And now we know that they are all in Storybrook. My whole part of the magic kingdom are, according to the people who have ventured there since."

"I hope it'll be okay." Aurora couldn't promise anything, and Mulan appreciated her not doing it.

"Me too."

Aurora brought out the storybook she'd gotten from the bookshop owner, studying the cover. She thought about the unfairness of Mulan's family being gone. She thought about how much she missed her own. And of course she thought about what Mulan had done.

"How come all princesses in the stories need to be saved? And why does it seem to naturally apply to all females in the magic kingdom too?" Mulan looked over at the princess' hands. They were almost going white as she squeezed the book's cover.

"Because kings and princes, soldiers and farmers… they rule this world." Aurora glared up at Mulan, frustration in her eyes.

"But WHY?" Mulan looked away. She wished she had the answer. But it was the way it had always been. And the fact was that the evil queen was the first woman to ever rule over anything but the kitchen.

"Is it because we see the world differently compared to them?" Aurora murmured. Mulan shook her head.

"I think they are like that because they don't know anything different. Men have always ruled and have always been treated as superiors. They've been raised with their parents telling them they were more important than their sisters, thrown into a world that has better prospects for any man, by men who were raised the exact same way by their fathers. Sure, they usually are taller and grow more facial hair, but truth is, that doesn't make them stronger than us. I fought men that were far hairier, taller and overall bigger, but I still won because I was faster, smarter and that… In the end that made me stronger." Aurora listened to Mulan's voice, then was lost in thoughts for a little while. The crackling of the fire kept their wandering minds company for a couple of minutes, before the princess spoke up.

"Why doesn't the stories speak of the strength of women then, and the way we see the world?" Mulan knew that Aurora must be a few years younger than her. She didn't dare ask since it might insult her, but… sometimes Aurora acted as if she'd lived many lifetimes before this one.

"I love Philip, of course I do!" she continued. It sounded like it was another duty of women, to declare the love she had for her prince. "But…" she looked worried that if she uttered the words waiting on her tongue the woods would somehow tell on her. "But I could never talk to him like this. Sometimes I feel like I could tell you anything Mulan, and you would still not judge me. Somehow… I think you would try to understand and look at me exactly the same." Mulan felt warmth inside her stomach and she couldn't help but smile as she looked at the princess. Her cheeks felt flushed and her heart was aching as Aurora's words entered her bloodstream.

"Yes, like that!" Aurora exclaimed, and they both laughed quietly.

"Aurora…" Mulan didn't know if she dared to say it, but it was most likely their last night alone. She had experiences something like this before. She too loved Philip. He was her ally, her friend. He was like her in many ways and they understood each other. They would talk little, share a drink or two together... She was a listener rather than a talker. She didn't ask anything, she would simply listen to Philip, and he hardly ever asked her anything either. But Aurora. She listened and asked and she got Mulan feeling like she could be a talker. Like she wanted to be; as long as Aurora would be the one listening to her.

She had never told anyone her story. And still, with Aurora it had come so naturally. She had to let Aurora know that she felt the same way about her. Like nothing could come between them. Even though Mulan knew someone would. Men always did. It didn't matter that she didn't have any feelings for Philip. Aurora did. And he would come with his manly expectations, without meaning to, demanding them to put him as the centre of everything. It was the way things were. She swallowed hard, trying to enjoy this short moment in time before it would all come crashing down.

"I feel the same way." Nothing more was necessary. Aurora smiled, then laughed, took her hand and squeezed it sweetly. They both went quiet, smiling softly at each other. Mulan thought she saw the princess blush.

"Maybe it is because of the way they see the world… The reasons men act upon…" Aurora mumbled.

"What do you mean?" Mulan searched Aurora's face for an explanation.

"I mean… men go out to war because of their honor. It's always strength and honor. Not like you."

Mulan suddenly felt wounded. Her smile faded and she swallowed hard.

"You're saying I don't have honor?" Aurora's eyebrows shot up.

"Oh! No, not like that!" She squeezed Mulan's hand harder, opening her mouth to try and find the words. She looked away for a second, then suddenly pulled the hand to her own chest. Mulan could feel the fast heartbeats against the palm of her hand, the tickling of the pink fabric between her fingers. She swallowed hard, feeling her insides shudder.

She kept staring quietly at the hand until Aurora spoke.

"Like when you gave me my heart back. I knew, Mulan. Men go to war to serve and protect their honor. But you… You went to war because of love."

They were quiet. Mulan was sure that Aurora could hear her heart banging against her ribs. It was like drums sounding in the night. Then she looked up and met Aurora's soft gaze. The princess smiled, having watched Mulan for a little while, and then moved closer, to lean against her shoulder. She pressed her cheek against the place of Aurora's lion heart and when she slowed her irregular breathing she could feel the steady beating against her face. She closed her eyes and soon she felt Mulan's arm shyly wrap around her waist, settling on her hip. Aurora almost forgot to breathe, as if a bolt of lightning had struck her and everything she had functioning in her body had stopped. Then she buried her nose into the smell of Mulan – sweet cherry blossoms, horse, leather and something spicy that she couldn't put her finger on. She wanted to never move.

Mulan had said this was their last night. Their last night of this close friendship they had developed against all odds. So Aurora decided to do something she didn't do, if she was not alone in the woods. She started singing. At first it was a hum, but then it was a soft tone. The woods seemed to hold its breath and listen. She saw the warmth of her breath create a cloud that mingled with Mulans. She sang the song from her dreams that spoke of promises of a meeting that happened only when she was asleep. But now she had never been more awake, singing her brave lionhearted warrior to sleep under the stars.

.

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><p><strong>AN: Whatever, I love cheese. **


	4. Protect

_Go alone my flower  
>And keep my whole lovely you<br>Wild green stones alone my lover  
>And keep us on my heart<em>

_._

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><p>.<p>

The cave opening was hidden behind a thick line of thorn bushes. Mulan was sure it was the right place. A sign, much like the one on the medallion of the soul sucker, was carved into the stone wall. It was black as if it had been carved in with soot.

"It's time," she mumbled to Aurora, hardly daring to look at the princess next to her. They were squatting beneath a thick set of bushes and trees, about a few feet away.

Aurora looked at the cave, then up at Mulan. They had talked it through all morning. While Mulan would make sure to keep the soul sucker occupied, she would sneak in and find Philip's soul. The book had said that it collected the souls in special rocks, that gave it more power the more souls there were. Somehow, when touched, the stones would let her know which souls where inhabiting them.

Mulan's face was a replica of the stone wall. She had a determined expression plastered across her face, and one of her slender hands upon the handle of her sword. Her hair was put up tightly into a knot and even though Aurora knew she tried to hide it there was a sense of excitement underneath her, a trembling in her eyelids, which could not be denied. The warrior was scared, but also, excited to go into battle.

Aurora, feeling the earth somehow move beneath her in one swift motion, put her hand on Mulan's shoulder, pushed herself up on her tiptoes, and gave the warrior a sweet kiss on the cheek.

Now Mulan turned bright red in surprise, loosing her balance and thudding down from her squatting position and landing on her behind. She looked up at the princess, who was trying to hide her quiet giggling behind the palm of her hand.

"Oh, I didn't mean to startle you," she whispered apologetically, though obviously amused. Mulan felt a little bit of relief at the joy in the princess' eyes. It was lighting up the mood, which was most defiantly needed going into a battle they did not have much chance of coming out of alive, all three of them. She had told Aurora what needed to be done, without giving her the thought that she'd decided that if someone were to be killed she would risk her life for Aurora to save Philip. She's told her the way to the place where Philip was, and how she would take Khan and ride ahead if they got separated. Aurora had not liked the idea, but had finally agreed on it when Mulan had told her how important it was to get the soul back to Philips' body before one sun and one moon had passed.

Now she just smiled at Aurora and shook her head.

"Well, I was not expecting it, that's for sure."

"I just wanted to tell you to be careful… and thank you for doing this. Helping me, I mean."

Mulan nodded.

"Of course. Philip was a close friend. He would've done… well, he did, the same for me."

They smiled at each other and Mulan reached out and pressed Aurora's hand, staring into the princess' eyes for a long time. She wanted to tell her how she was doing it all for her and her happiness, but she couldn't get the words and reasons out right. So she just smiled a little and then stood up.

"I'm going. Wait for my signal." Aurora swallowed the feeling of tears burning her throat and nodded bravely. Then she watched Mulan pull her sword and quickly jog over to the cave opening, cutting some branches away and entering the cave. Her red cape disappeared into the darkness and quickly after, a loud growling noise was heard from deep within.

"Now, Aurora!" Mulan's muffled cry was heard, and Aurora was fast on her feet, running through the bushes and entering the cave, trying to keep herself low and close to the wall. She was blinded at first by the darkness, but after a few seconds of blinking she could see the wet cave walls, hear the sound of water dripping and she heard Mulan's battle cries echo and bounce off the walls.

A nest, a nest, some kind of nest. That was what she was looking for. A nest full of stones… She looked around, trying to see through the darkness… there! Something was slightly glowing in the wall. As Aurora went closer, the sound of her dress was heard as its ragged pieces dragged across the floor, and it sounded as if it was as loud as Mulan's cries and her own, thumping heart. She felt cold sweat trickle down the back of her neck even though the cave was cold enough for her breath to condense.

There were several holes in the walls that were giving of a glistening impression and they gave up a trickling sound, like water. She hurried to one of the holes closest to her, at the very end of the wall and peeked inside. The holes where about the size of a human head, and inside there was like a little puddle of fresh water filled up with pearly white, perfectly round pebbles about the size of the palm of her hand. What was it Mulan had said? She had told her to hold the stone and wait for a sign from the soul. To listen for Philip.

She threw a glance in the direction of the battle sounds, but they were around a turn in the cave and she could not see either Mulan nor the hooded monster. She grabbed a stone and squeezed it, trying to give it all of the love she had in her heart.

"Hear me, Philip," she mumbled, closing her eyes. At first all she heard was Mulan's shouting and the sound of her sword cutting through the air. Then she heard the mumbling. Like a thousand tiny voices whispering from the walls all around her. Then one voice spoke above the rest, like the person it belonged to was standing right behind her, whispering into her ear.

"Save me…" It was an old man's voice. It was worn out and tired like an old wash cloth. It sounded like he had lived in that wall for hundreds of years. The hairs on Aurora's arms stood up. She swallowed, struggling to put the stone back into the water. Mulan had said that they could only save Philip if they wanted to have even a slight chance at succeeding.

She tried separating the stoned into two piles; to separate the ones she'd checked from the rest. When she finished the first hole she looked to her left. At least six more holes to go. It was just to dig in…

She got more and more stressed as she heard Mulan grow more tired. It was like she could feel it in her bones. She would not be able to keep the beast away much longer. Aurora tried to hurry up, but the stones were slippery, and some of them didn't seem to want to let her let them go. It was like their cold fingers were pulling at her arms, hair and clothes, becoming more and more desperate with each stone she touched. The water was rising in temperature, almost bubbling with anticipation. The voices grew stronger and pleaded her to help them.

Suddenly there was one voice, from the white pebble she pressed in her hand, that made Aurora almost drop it to the floor.

"Help me, princess…" It was the one of a child's. A young child, probably not older than five. Aurora could almost see her in front of her, and she felt her heart painfully throb. She felt her fingers shake and the tears sting her eyes as she shivering put the stone back in.

"I-..I'm sorry. I'll make sure to come back for you!" Aurora took a few calming breathes and then pushed her hand into the now almost boiling water. She was on the fourth hole, growing more and more tired with each minute. The back of her dress was wet with sweat and the child's voice was still ringing in her ear. She pressed the stone into the palm of her hand and at first the air was quiet, but then she felt a light touch on her shoulder, like the whisper of someone's hand.

"Aurora…?"

"Oh!" It had to be Philip! It had been long since she had heard his voice, but there was that kindness she knew. It was him. She turned around with it pressed to her heart, hand throbbing from the hot water but with a weight lifting inside of her. Just then Mulan gave up a loud scream and came hurtling around the corner, flying into the wall right next to the entrance. Her head hit the stone with a loud crack and blood starting sipping down her forehead. Her eyes found Aurora and she cried:

"Get out!" Mulan's sword was on the floor beside her, and she tried to grab it just as the cloaked monster showed itself. It came flying with a ghost like presence. Aurora almost stopped breathing as the cave grew even colder. The empty blackness of its hood stared right at the warrior on the ground and a long, rattling breath was hear as if it was getting ready to suck Mulan's soul out too. It came close and raised a claw-like hand to grab Mulan's hair. That's when Aurora's head cleared and only one thing was left. She had to save Mulan. A growl arose from deep inside her chest, coming out like thunder, as she ran towards them and hurled Philip's stone right into the things hooded head. The impact was not much and the pebble fell to the floor with a clatter. But it was enough for the soul sucker to turn its body towards the furious princess. She had pulled her sword and now she swung it with a battle cry like no other, slashing at the cloaked figure. She managed to cut off one of its hands and a terrible wail was heard from inside the cloak. Black smoke started welling out from the cut as the creature gripped at it, and backed away from Mulan. It was enough. Mulan threw herself at the stone and grabbed her sword before yelling:

"RUN!" The two young women rushed out of there, and as Mulan stumbled over the bushes, Aurora grabbed her arm and pulled her with her. Just outside Mulan collected enough air to whistle. Khan came galloping just as the soul sucker came out into the light. It gave up a loud, monstrous cry and threw itself towards the women. The horse whinnied loudly, almost like it was challenging the monster and reared up on its hind legs. It kicked at the soul sucker and then galloped around it and gave it a good kick from behind. The monster growled and flew into the wall, which gave Mulan time to put away her sword and throw a handful of sand from her pouch at it. With the help of the book they had managed to mix the sand up with lavender, which according to the book would capture and disorient it for a short amount of time. They didn't stop to see if it was working. Khan came up to them, moving his head up and down encouragingly. Aurora quickly helped Mulan reach the stirrup, since she was slightly disoriented from the thump on her head, and then she helped pull Aurora up behind her. Khan whinnied and reared again, before galloping straight into the forest. As Aurora threw hear head back she could see the creature roaring with its head lifted to the sky, seeming to be strapped onto the stone wall.

She wrapped her arms tighter around Mulan, placing her hands on top of the warrior's gloved hands to help hold onto the reins. Her nose was pressed into the warriors shoulder, and she could see the blood trickle down her friend's neck.

"We lost him," she said, still trying to catch her breath. Khan was cantering through the woods at a speed they'd never held before. For a moment she felt almost like her, Khan and Mulan was one creature. She wondered if their breaths all matched.

"For now," Mulan murmured. Aurora felt her voice in her own body, pressed up so close.

"You're hurt."

"I'm fine. Khan is hurt though." She sounded worried and when Aurora peeked down towards the reins she could indeed see a big gash oozing out blood on the horses right shoulder.

"We'll make sure to get to the river," Mulan continued. "Then we can collect ourselves. But right now it seems like we made it…" Aurora smiled slightly.

"We made it," she murmured, her words being told into Mulan's shoulder and she could feel the warrior relax a little, and a smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

"Now only half is left…" she said, making Aurora's heart sink again. They had only one day and one night to get back to Philip's body in time to return his soul. And Khan was hurt.

.

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><p><strong>.<strong>

**A/N: I don't write much adventure in my short stories, I've realized. I do love it, it just never come up. Well, in this story it was more than necessary. I hope you enjoyed it! I plan on making three more chapters of this story. I have my summer break soon, so I hope I'll be able to finish it during that time! **


	5. Save

_Three guns and one goes off_  
><em>One's empty, one's not quick enough<em>  
><em>One burn, one red, one grin<em>  
><em>Search the graves while the camera spins<em>

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

The water was clucking towards the shore happily, ignoring the fact the two worried women pacing amongst the pebbles.

Mulan was dipping some ripped clothing into the water, dabbing at Khan's open wound. Aurora had picked a lot of different herbs that her fourth fairy godmother had told her about, the one who looked out for her in her ventures into the woods. She had taught her about what would cure most afflictions, magical as well as non-magical. Fortunately, Khan's injury was not especially severe. Some mixed leaves would help to clean it and speed up the healing quite nicely. But it would take a long time to heal, and they couldn't expect him to carry both of them for long.

She put them on a stone that had a hollow on top, creating a little bowl. Then she picked up a big stone, adding some fresh water to the mixture and began crushing it together to make a paste. She put it all into a big oak leaf, spread it out with her fingers and went up to Mulan.

Mulan was obviously worried about Khan. He was a great stud and didn't seem to be at all bothered by his injury. All he did when she cleaned it was put his ears back and blow air from his muzzle.

"Now move over," Aurora said with some authority, as she stepped over to Khan. While stroking him sweetly on the neck she pushed the leaf onto the gash, with her small fingers pressing it into place. Khan whinnied quietly, before his ears went to the side, eyes half closing. The bandage seemed to help.

"Good boy," Aurora murmured as she stroke his cheekbones. "My little hero, saving us back there." Mulan watched the princess with her horse. Then Aurora turned around and met her gaze.

"Now it's your turn," she told Mulan.

"I don't need it-!" She began, but Aurora was already beside her, checking the back of her head.

"Yes you do. You've stopped bleeding, but there is a definite bump there. Sit down." Mulan, not wanting to argue, sat down on the stone while Aurora fussed over her head. She pulled out the ribbons that bound it, pouring cold, fresh water over her bruise. Aurora's hands pulling through Mulan's hair was enough to make her close her eyes and shiver deliciously. Then suddenly they were gone.

"There you are. Done." Mulan opened her eyes again only to stare into Aurora's determined face, trying to hide her disappointment. "Now, what are we gonna do? There had to be another way to get the stone to Philip in time!"

Mulan looked away across the river snaking through the landscape.

"Well, I think there's supposed to be a village close by. If we follow the river just a little bit up north, we should find it. Then maybe we can get us another horse." Aurora nodded, looking relieved to have something else to concentrate on.

"Good. Then that's what we'll do."

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

Khan carried them up the river without problems, but Mulan noticed that each mile made him more tired. It was a heavy load, carrying two people.

She felt Aurora's hands around her waist, her bosom pressed up against her back. The back of her head had stopped aching as badly. Whatever Aurora had put on it, it had helped. She realized she knew close to nothing about the princess' life. Philip hadn't offered much because he hadn't known much himself. And their families hadn't exactly been the thing to discuss on their journey.

"Where have you learned all those things, Aurora? I mean, healing isn't exactly what princesses tend to know much about, now is it?"

Aurora hummed into her shoulder, before answering.

"No, but I wasn't exactly brought up as a princess. I had three godmothers who took care of me. Well, fairy godmothers…"

"So you didn't grow up with your parents?"

"No… No, I didn't even know I was a princess for a very long time. I was brought up as any other peasant girl… except of course that I had no father figure. I envy you for that, Mulan." Mulan felt her heart warm up at that. She missed her father terribly.

"So your fairy godmothers; did they teach you cooking and healing and house hold chores then?" She asked, feeling like they were more alike than she'd first thought.

"No, not really. Oh dear. They tried, of course, and I had to learn a lot of things quite quickly. I helped them bake, do the laundry, pick berries and mushrooms and fruits pretty much since I was four."

"That's early," Mulan commented.

"Yeah, but I would have gotten poisoned ten times over if it hadn't been for my fourth fairy godmother. Flora, Fauna and Merryweather warned me about talking to strangers in the woods, but still they sent me out all by myself. My fourth godmother had a long name, and I recall that I had always called her Effi. She was nothing like my other godmothers. Darkly dressed with red lips and eyes like yours, like dark ponds…" She fell quiet and Mulan felt her face blush. She swallowed.

"It was a strange way to grow up I guess, but it depends on what you're used too. Effi taught me all about what berries to pick and what mushrooms to choose, and when I came home my godmothers cooked. They were very good at that, cooking and baking, I mean. They were great at what was in the woods as well; they would send me out into the woods and tell me what to pick, but then they assumed I knew what everything was. That's what Effi had to help me with. She also brought me to the most amazing places in the woods. That's when I first met Philip. Effi had just brought me to an open meadow, by a lake when he appeared on his horse. It was… sweet. Effi left, but when she reappeared I remember how she'd smiled knowingly, with a hint of sadness, before telling me to be careful; I wasn't supposed to talk to strangers after all… I should've thought of that long before, when I first met her…"

"What do you mean?" It took a long while before Aurora answered. When she finally did, it was with a shaking voice.

"I learned, as I returned to the Castle and my family, that there was a curse put on me. A curse that I would fall into an endless sleep, like death, and not wake up until I was given true loves kiss… And it was Effi who had cursed me. Turns out all that time she had just been waiting for me to die. Her real name was Maleficent." After that she went quiet again, sniffing quietly as if she was trying not to cry. Mulan's heart skipped a beat. She didn't know if she should tell the princess, but she didn't have the heart to hold it in.

"I met her when I was travelling with Philip," Mulan murmured as Aurora drew in a deep breath. "Maybe this is really his tale to tell, but… you just need to know the real story."

"We hunted her down to try and break the curse. She was trapped in the woods, trapped in her own thorn bushes, haunted by sorrow." She paused, but Aurora didn't say anything. "Somehow we managed to get her into a corner, and when she saw Philip under the helmet, she let down her guard. Philip, who was ready to move in to strike, hesitated. And when he asked her about breaking the curse, she told him about the mystery of true love's kiss and how she recognized him. She also told us her own story." Mulan sighed, lost in the memory. "It was as if she'd been holding onto it for a very long time and once she started talking it all came pouring out of her. Malificent was tricked by your father… they met when she was young and happy, still only a child."

She paused, looking back at Aurora's wondering eyes. "She fell deeply in love with him over the years. And he was the one who told her about True love's kiss, gave it to her… something she later realized did not exist in just one form. It changes with time, like the heart itself, and has to come from the person who not only love _you_ the most, but the one _you_ love the most at that moment in your life." Aurora gasped slightly, as if realizing this.

"But your father betrayed her. To become king he returned to kill her. He couldn't do it, but he…" she stopped herself. "I'm so sorry Aurora, but he cut off her wings." The princess hugged her tighter and Mulan could feel her body racking with sobs. She didn't say anything for a long time as they rode on in silence. After a while, Aurora spoke up.

"So she did truly care about me after all…" Mulan nodded.

"I think she truly loved you. Called the other fairies who had taken you in ditz. Not sure what that means…" Aurora gave a little laugh.

"They were maybe not the best parental figures… But they did have their hearts in the right place." She mumbled. "Maybe, after Philip is back to normal, we could go see her…" Her hopefulness was put out by Mulan's sad gaze.

"When we were talking to her, she was called upon. Some kind of favour. She told us that she was sorry, that she had to go… She was swept away: probably to Storybrook."

Aurora nodded, her heart sinking down into a pool of sorrow and worry again. She was more alike Malificent than all her other fairy godmothers. She was also easily swept up by sorrow, and despite everything she could understand why someone would be lost in that deep, swamplike feeling. How you could be consumed by it. She was hinting on it now, despair close and knocking. They had to save Philip.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

"You're a real princess, pumpkin." Aurora felt a huge hand meet the back of her skirts. And then it squeezed. Her face grew instantly red. Mulan had left her alone to "borrow" a horse, as she called it, since no one in the pub had one to sell. Aurora herself had refused to be a part of the actual borrowing. She was NOT a thief. Neither was Mulan. But of course, desperate times called for desperate measures. She was to distract the horse owners, so that nobody would disturb Mulan while she prepared their departure. So now, even though she had the hand the size of a shovel on her behind, she swallowed her rage and turned around, a smile on her face.

"Oh, well, I wouldn't call me the pumpkin princess. I'm no Cinderella." That seemed to amuse the man to no end, who removed his hand from her butt only to slam it down on the bar as he laughed. He was tall and wide and hairy, like a bear, with tiny eyes and bad teeth. And he liked to brag about how he had so much money he could buy her as many pints as she'd like. She had politely accepted an ale, and was sipping on it even thought it tasted like moldy socks mixed with horse pee.

There were five other men around her, the only inhabitants at the pub who wasn't having lunch but merely seemed to enjoy the bad ale. They all, hilariously enough, also resembled animals. There was a blonde one with sad eyes, like a dog. A short one with big front teeth and huge, dark eyes, like a mouse. One man had almost no hair, red cheeks and a flat nose, just like a pig. And then there were two that were so alike they must've been twins, with dark hair and long necks, laughs just like horses whinnies. So right now she was addressed by Bear while Dog, Mouse, Pig and Horse 1 and 2 laughed hysterically at her witty comeback. The pub owner stood behind the bar, polishing mugs as he leered at them and, Aurora soon realized, the front of her dress. She wished Mulan would come and rescue her already.

"Well, we can't let you leave until you agree to marry one of us, then." Mouse said, making his eyes even bigger and giving her an all-front-teeth-smile. Aurora almost choked on the ale. But of course. She shouldn't be surprised. Mulan had been very reluctant to leave her in here alone. She knew what had been waiting once she left. The men had stared at Mulan, but her sword had probably made them stay away. As soon as she'd left, the thugs had swarmed though.

"Oh, well… but how would I choose?" Aurora said as the horse twins bobbed their heads on their long necks and grinning, making her want to ask them if they would like some hay.

"Maybe just go by charm?" Bear roared happily, cheered on by the other men. "But maybe that would not be fair, 'cuss I would win in that case." He winked at Aurora as Pig gave him a little too hard of a shove.

"Don't be too sure of that," he said, his watery eyes on the princess.

"How about a contest then?" Dog said, his voice surprisingly clear and calm, not at all as deep and sniveling as she would expect him to sound compared to his appearance. "Maybe something of the lady's choosing, if she wouldn't mind." He had hardly spoken until now, but Aurora realized he was the only one who had not yet been utterly rude to her. She hoped it wasn't his horse Mulan was in the process of "borrowing".

"Yes, you might be right there, my friend" Bear said approvingly. "So what will it be then, pumpkin? A race? A game of card? Or maybe arm wrestling?" He roared with laughter and patted Mouse, who looked as though his huge eyes would pop out of his skull. He was defiantly not going to win her at arm wrestling. She pretended to think as she took another sip of the lukewarm ale. She wanted something hard, but still nothing too hard or surely they would start arguing and she would be forced to witness a fight, getting caught in the middle of it.

"Maybe," she started, putting her hands together and twirling on the chair to face her admirers. "…it would be fit to have a little eating contest." They would need something to suck up all that ale, she thought to herself. "You will all have to buy something on the menu and then the one who finishes first will win." She was sure not to mention _what_ they would win, she was not going to encourage them stealing her away before she could reunite with her Philip. Every second longer they spend here was a second closer to Philip fading away for good.

She turned to the Pub owner.

"What would be the best for this contest?" The owner smiled a toothless smile at her, obviously pleased that she had chosen something that gave him more money.

"Well, we have yesterday's loaf, miss. It's nice and dry, and I think we have about four of them left."

"That sounds perfect," Aurora nodded. "If you would cut three of them in half then, and then there'll be no drink allowed. The one who swallows it all first shall be the winner."

Everyone was smiling, even Mouse. They all had bellies except for Dog, but he still looked like he could eat. The preparations were made and the owner urged Aurora to sit up on the bar to judge the contest. The contestants were sat on a row, three on each side of her. The other people in the pub seemed to be curious about what was happening, and a few even came up to the bar to have a better look.

When they were all seated, Aurora gave the word.

"Alright, may the best man win. EAT!" All six contestants starting inhaling the bread with enthusiasm. Dog seemed to be taking it calm, but he still was in the lead after about thirty seconds. The loaves looked dry and moldy, but they seemed to go down just fine. Pig was having trouble though. He starting coughing uncontrollably halfway through his piece, and another man patted his back to help him get it down.

Horse number one wasn't doing as good as his brother, which seemed not to have lost as many teeth as him. Mouse was also doing well, nibbling away at his bread with his sharp front teeth. Bear however was…

"DONE!" He roared happily, opening his mouth at Aurora to show off how he had swallowed the whole loaf. He gave up a loud burp that drowned the other contestants disappointment and seemed to shake the bar disk. Then he picked Aurora and swung her around, before setting her down and giving her backside a nice double tap.

SPLASH. The sound of ale splashing all over was heard and the pub fell silent. Bear growled angrily, turning around.

"How could you do that to my man?" Aurora cried with a made up feminine voice, pointing at Pig, who had just drained a glass of ale to help him catch his breath and was nowhere near them. But Bear was, thankfully, too drunk to realize this and headed straight over there, punching Pig so hard he rammed into the horse twins at the bar. All hell broke loose. The pub owner was yelling at them to watch the furniture, while Mouse was jumping up and down in delight and Dog was trying to help Pig up while Bear stomped over there to hit him again. Meanwhile, Mulan who was the one who had actually poured the beer, stood there red faced, shaking with anger.

Aurora ran up to her, grabbing her arm.

"Let's go!"

"He was-he touched your…! How dare-!?" She couldn't get the words out. Aurora pulled at her arm, hurrying towards the door.

"Thank you, Mulan, but we need to go!"

They ran out of the pub, leaving the amok behind them, meeting a beautiful, gray horse. She seemed wide enough to carry them both and had long legs covered in black socks. She beckoned her head at them as if she was saying "Well, hurry up then.". She was stunning. Khan was tied up with a rope at her saddle, looking dumbstruck at the beauty, not believing his luck.

Mulan climbed onto the horse, pulling Aurora up behind her. Aurora curled her arms around the warrior, who kicked the horse with her shins and they galloped away down the road.

"Hey, that's my Primrose!" cried a voice behind them. When Mulan turned around she saw Pig running out onto the yard, but soon he disappeared behind the trees and bushes.

"I never want to see a drunk man again…!" she murmured.

"I once said something quite similar to that," Mulan chuckled as she smacked her lips for the horse to run faster. "But in quite a different context."

"Really? What?" Mulan seemed to ignore her question.

"You know what?" she said instead. "I think we'll make it just in time."

.

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><p>.<p>

"We're here…" Mulan didn't know what to expect. It was a new beginning, a new chance for Aurora and Philip to start over. For one second she felt a cold hand grip her heart. What if he wouldn't wake up? What if they had calculated it all wrong? What if it mattered how long the body and the soul had been separated? What if…? What if Philip didn't return? It was a horrible thought. He was a man that had meant so much to Mulan. And she didn't know what Aurora would do. She had survived Philip's death, quite well to be honest. She had been strong and focused, even if she'd tried to attack Snow that one time. She had grown stronger in Philip's absence. Evolved, in a way.

But having her hope restored, and then putting all of her hope into this one way, only to be disappointed… Mulan worried that it might break Aurora once and for all, no matter how strong she'd become.

Aurora let go of Mulan's waist and slid of the horse. Her legs almost failed her when she landed on the dry land. The grass crunched under her shoes and the reddish sand billowed up like smoke around her ankles. Her hands were still on Primrose. They had a few hours to spare, but for a second Aurora couldn't move. She stared down at her feet, trying to catch her breath. Then she felt a hand on her forearm. She looked up and met Mulan's gaze. There was a warmth and kindness in there. Aurora remembered when she'd first met the warrior. She had been the one in the deepest sleep, and Philip had found her after a long journey with Mulan by his side. But she didn't think Philip had changed during his time with Mulan. Aurora knew she had. She didn't feel like the lonely princess anymore, whose only power was her beauty. She had found new strength next to this incredible woman, who had surprised her all those months ago by revealing her face under that helmet. That was the difference between her and Philip. They had both worked to save each other, but they had learnt different things on their journeys with this woman. And she remembered vaguely, that one of her fairy godmothers had told her once… that it was the journey that mattered, no matter what the goal was.

"Let's save our prince…" Mulan murmured softly. Not long ago, Aurora would've become jealous and angry to hear her speak those words. But the truth was that Mulan had done this journey alongside her. She worried for a second about Mulan's feelings. Then she shook them away. She knew Philip loved her, and only her. There was no doubt about it. But that didn't stop her from worrying for Mulan.

But instead of bringing it up, she nodded.

Mulan slid off too, patted the neck of their horse, and brought out the slightly glowing, white pebble.

Their eyes met again and then both looked up to the podium. They could see Philip's body through the dried up bushes, but neither of them moved. Aurora swallowed and then, nervously, intertwined her fingers with Mulan's. Then they moved forward, together.

Philip looked soundly asleep. His slight stubble, cape flowing down the side of the table, his hands folded on top of his chest.

Mulan stopped in front of him and let go of Aurora's hand. Aurora didn't like to lose her warmth, but she looked up at the warrior who nodded and gave her the stone containing Philip's soul. She could see the protected side of Mulan was gone, and she showed her how scared she was. Somehow, this comforted Aurora in a way. She smiled slightly, and then with a sharp intake of breath, she placed the stone under Philip's hands.  
>At first, nothing happened. There was a slight whispering, as if someone was whispering something in their ears, like a slight breeze fluttering by. Then suddenly his eyelids stirred. A strange, upset-stomach noise reached them from his chest. Then he was breathing, gasping for the air in his lungs he had not had in him for months, looking up at Aurora with those piercing blue eyes.<p>

"Philip!" He laughed, choked up with breathing for the first time again, and by seeing his beauty by his side.

"Yes, that would be correct," he croaked. His voice sounded like an old man's, but then again he had been dead for a long time. Lucky thing that the place was magical, otherwise it would have been a rotting skeleton that had been returned to Aurora.

He grabbed her with a force that surprised Mulan, and kissed her. Alright, Mulan wanted to say, enough. But of course she couldn't. Instead she looked to the ground, the lightness of relief was replaced. Her gut twisting in on itself as if it was filled with venomous snakes.

Suddenly Philip groaned and pulled away, his body seeming to convulse.

"Philip! What's wrong?!" Aurora was all over him, Mulan felt a sting of jealousy. But wait- Oh! She couldn't see much of the prince, but she recognized this from that time he'd challenged her on downing Chinese liquor. Mulan grabbed Aurora and pulled her back, fighting her, just in time.

Philip started puking, right where the princess' violet pearl shoes had been standing seconds before…

"Oh…" Aurora's voice was weak, and Mulan could catch a hint of disappointment in there. Probably because him puking his guts out didn't exactly go with her expectations of a perfect reunion.

.

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><p>.<p>

**A/N: When I was researching more on the sleeping beauty themed folktale, this interesting thing came up… Pregnant, and all. Sounds familiar?**

"_**An episode contained in **__**Perceforest,**__** the "Histoire de Troïlus et de Zellandine," (Book III, chapter lii) is the one of the earliest known versions of the **__**Sleeping Beauty**__** theme - an often overlooked earlier version to be found in a less well-known Occitan 'novas' - though here Troilus rapes Zellandine in her deep coma, and she delivers the child without waking."**_

**Philip obviously doesn't rape Aurora! But it's interesting to know that such a horrible story has been turned into such a romantic one. Hmmm, I say. Hmmm.**


	6. Change

PART 6

_Chunks of you will sink down to seals_  
><em>Blubber rich in mourning, they'll nosh you up<em>  
><em>Yes, they'll nosh the love away but it's fair to say<em>  
><em>You will still haunt me<em>

_._

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><p><em>.<em>

"Mulan, are you still awake?"

She turned around and saw Aurora standing there, dressed in the darkness of the night, but still with an aura of light around her. As if she was constantly lit up by fireflies on the inside. Her presence did not surprise the warrior. She had shown up like this every night since they had found Philip, worry written in the shadows of her face.

"Aur-" she stopped herself. "_Princess,_ It's in the middle of the night."

Aurora's arms wrapped around her own, peering at the warrior, not daring to take a step closer.

"You look tired. You should try to go back to sleep. I'll still be here if you don't." Aurora looked away.

"But I _can't_." Mulan leaned towards her slightly, hoping and worrying that something would be wrong with Philip. The nights before she had merely argued that she had slept enough, even though it was an easy lie to see through.

"Why not?" she breathed. The princess' shoulders sagged, as if weighed down by her decision.

"I'm having the nightmares." Mulan stood up abruptly, making Aurora jump in surprise.

Mulan breathed in sharply, taking a hold of her hand as she, in her hurry to stand up, had cut it on the blade. She was not used to her hands being bare. But her eyes snapped back to the shadowlike figure of Aurora against the tent.

"I thought you stopped having them!" Mulan looked bewildered. Aurora gave up a tiny little whimper of shame.

"That's when I was sleeping next to you," she answered without looking at her. Mulan blushed with shame and looked away as well, her almond eyes closing for awhile. Aurora thought it felt like eternity before she opened them again. She walked over to the warrior, reached out and took Mulan's hand in hers. Mulan looked at her as if she was being threatened by a knife, frozen but not resisting when Aurora brought the warriors hand to her lips.

"I wish you'd be more careful."

"I made a promise…" Mulan started but her reason sounded terribly hollow. Philip was here to protect his princess for himself now. She was just another obstacle in the way of them getting married and living their lives to the fullest. She couldn't exactly tag along, living out in their stables, like some dog. She didn't know if she could live through something like that. But she couldn't leave Aurora either. She trusted Philip with her own life, but suddenly not with Aurora's. These thoughts startled her so much she shrugged and pulled her hand away from Aurora's grip. She sat down again, placing the sword in the hilt and then on the ground beside her. Aurora soon followed, all rustling skirts and hair brushing against fair skin.

"We had to get him back no matter what. Yo-… We need him." Aurora looked into the fire, nodding. Her face looked hardened, as if she was able to take care of herself. Still; she couldn't even sleep.

"I'm so tired again," she said. "It's been three days now." Mulan nodded. The first night she's mistaken Aurora's whimpers for some kind of reunion between the two lost lovers and had left them, deciding never to return and never to say goodbye. She would not be missed.

But when she did return hours later, after a night full of running, kicking and asking the darkness the same questions of her heart over and over again, she had found Aurora sitting at the opening of the tent, all dark eyes, tangled limbs and shivering body.

Not much unlike now, a haunted look somewhere behind those pearls of eyes.

"It's as if… I don't know. It's not the same." Mulan sighed, bitterly.

"You feel like he's changed?" Aurora shook her head.

"No, I think… I'm the one who's been changing." She looked up and met Mulan's eyes, raw and uncloaked in this light. It was as if she was seeing into them for the first time. There was evident surprise in them, but there also seemed to be confusion and longing. A longing Aurora couldn't pinpoint.

"I'll be honest with you…" Mulan said, still not looking away. Aurora felt almost naked under her gaze, feeling her middle ache, wanting to move but at the same time wanting to stay. She couldn't make herself look away, even if she didn't know what her eyes were saying at that moment. A lot, she decided, and then not caring about it.

"You still surprise me." The corners of her mouth curled lightly. "Any other person would have claimed that Philip has changed, even though he's been… gone in a place where time does not exist. Meanwhile you have been living, doing things so different from what you've been used to before." The little smile disappeared again. "I know you've been changing. But I also know you. And still, you surprise me." Aurora didn't realize she'd been leaning closer to Mulan, but when she did, she didn't feel like pulling away. She couldn't stop herself from smiling shyly. When she did, there was a spark of something in the warrior's eyes.

"It's all because of you, you know. I am who I am today because of you." Mulan shook her head slightly.

"No, it's all you. You were capable of all these incredible things, and you just didn't see it."

"That might be true," Aurora mumbled, her voice growing softer with every word. She could feel the warmth of the fire as well as the warmth of Mulan herself. "But you were the one who led me to believe I could. You pulled me out of my hiding place. You opened my eyes to the world."

Mulan didn't answer, instead she just swallowed, and while Aurora was smiling her mouth was a line of nervousness. But still, she couldn't look away. Her dark eyes were searching Aurora's face. Her soft, brown eyebrows, her princess-like nose and her cheeks and chin, flushed in the cold night.

Suddenly Aurora leaned in to swipe some hair from Mulan's face. They usually wouldn't touch like this. It was mostly hands on arms or backs, and it did send shivers rippling across her skin, but this was another touch. Aurora knew she was crossing a line. Her heart beat in her chest, making her breathe out, look away and pulling her shaking fingers back. But Mulan caught them. It was not often she felt the skin of her fingertips. Mulan would always wear gloves, she said her hands were important to be able to handle her weapons. She only took them off when washing, and cleaning her sword. She almost slept with them every night.

Mulan smiled slightly, stroking her fingers across the back of her hand, before remembering her senses and pulling away. It was like the air around them was electric, just waiting for a spark to catch on fire and burn them both to the ground. Aurora felt an ever more painful, aching pain in her stomach and had to force herself up to a standing position, desperately looking away. She tried to find her words, looking around as if they were hung up in the trees, almost gasping for air, before saying:

"I should… go to bed." She knew already she would never be able to sleep. She wanted nothing more than Mulan to be by her side – and do anything but sleep – but it confused her. It was normal to feel affectionate towards Mulan – she'd saved her and comforted her more times than she could count. Thinking about the times they'd touched and the looks they'd shared made her giddy. Now her head was spinning with the memory of the day before, when Mulan had moved closer than necessary to help her with her horse and suddenly Aurora had felt the warrior's shoulder plates on her shoulder. Turning around, Mulan had just smiled, like it was nothing, but secretly Aurora hoped it was more than that.

Their fingers had touched a few moments ago and there still ran shivers down Aurora's spine. Mulan looked at her with those almond shaped eyes. She didn't want them anywhere else, really. Aurora was the place her eyes would always rest, to keep her out of harm's way, to make sure she was alright, to make sure she wasn't having any nightmares; to make sure… she was still there, with her. Sometimes she worried she'd wake up and the princess would have been sucked away into her own dreams – or maybe Mulans. She was so beautiful it was hard to believe she was real at times. She was sure that Philip felt the same way. But he loved her from the first moment he laid eyes on her – for her beauty. He'd called her Sleeping Beauty so many times more than he had called her Aurora. Mulan did not doubt for a minute that the prince loved her. But she didn't love Aurora because of her beauty. In the beginning she'd resented her for it, because it had made Mulan feel weak. Like she was not woman enough compared to that beautiful face. But she'd started caring for Aurora when she'd shown her other sides. Her compassion, her sassiness… her superiority, in a way. The way she'd acted when Mulan had teased her, how simple it felt. How the tension was there, but slowly melted away with each hour, each look, each touch, each breath… Replaced by an increasing grip on her lungs.

Mulan knew it wasn't right, feeling this way about a woman already claimed for. She knew it wasn't right feeling this way about a woman. Where she came from you could get killed for dressing up like a man or be dishonored if you were unmarried and let your eyes meet another man's for longer than necessary. But Aurora was there, she was close, and this… disease was almost unheard of in Mulan's part of the magic kingdom. But Mulan had known that this existed because she'd seen it while watching other people. Women looking at each other with longing in their eyes, men in the army who let themselves touch each other in certain ways because they had devoured to much Chinese liquor. No, Mulan had known all along. And she had heard about this kind of love that could not be stopped nor taken away… and she'd heard about the pain of it when it was unrequited, what men and women had done to themselves in their hearts' desperation… It was love that broke them, her grandmother would say. That's what killed them slowly, like being buried alive under snow.

It was impossible to know how Aurora felt. She was first and foremost a princess, and those times that Mulan had a hard time masking her feelings it was proven that Aurora had perfected it. She would rush blindly into fights that she could not win to save some helpless soul, yes. But when it came to hiding her feelings, keeping secrets so effortlessly deep inside of her so that no one would even think of her when told that the princess knew. She was "too beautiful, too kind, too innocent for that" they'd tell themselves and anyone who'd listen. But Mulan had seen Aurora lie, even to her. And it had been convincing.

"Uhm… Goodnight Mulan." Aurora looked at her, half turned away from the fire. "Come join us soon, okay?" It was more of an order than a request. Mulan's heart sank in her chest. She had not yet been able to bring herself to share a tent with the two of them. Even though she knew Aurora and Philip would never break the holy laws of marriage and all that, they could embrace, they could kiss, they could fit together in their sleep like two bits of the perfect puzzle. She could feel her hands shake and her throat grew stingy. She couldn't handle crying, and she was not about to start. Aurora was still looking at her, and now Mulan heard the leaves rustle beneath her pink shoes as she moved.

"Mulan…" She was looking at those leaves by her feet, shuffling them around with the tip of her foot. "I think I'd sleep much better if I knew you were getting all the sleep you needed as well. We can wake Philip up to take the next shift… Or we could all take the chance and sleep." Mulan did not like that idea at all. But she nodded, stood up and was graced by a smile that made Aurora look much less tired.

"Okay, I'll wake him up and…!" Mulan held up a hand.

"I slept by myself when I was travelling alone. I'll just set a trap outside and then we can get some sleep. I wouldn't want to rob any of the prince's sleep… He needs it." Aurora started to blush slightly, a pinkish tinge, but she blinked and her feelings were hidden from the world.

"Okay. I'll go inside for now."

Mulan just nodded and watched Aurora walk inside the tent, before starting to tie a few ropes, pull a few branches and hide some embers around the site, that would with the help of Mulan's Chinese tricks flame up if disturbed by anyone's or anything's footfall. When she was done she made sure the fire was nothing but red, glowing branches and leaned her head back. She watched the grey smoke move up into the sky, looking like it was being sucked up by the stars.

Her own breath mingled with the smoke in the cold night air and she sighed, closed her eyes and decided that it was truly time to get some sleep. She rubbed her ungloved hand across her face and stumbled the few feet to the tent. Before moving the flap open, she hesitated, watching her own shadow on the fabric. She could see Aurora and Philip in there, side by side. Philip had turned his back to her in her absence and sleep had made him curl into himself. Aurora was facing his back, cuddled close but not for touch. Mulan sighed again and her bones ached too much for sleep to ignore them any longer. One more sleepless night and she'd not be good enough to assist Philip in protecting Aurora.

When she entered, Aurora stirred. Mulan took her shoulder plates off and went down on all four to crawl into the place next to the princess. She bumped down, somewhat ungraciously due to her tired body, and put her head on the bag filled with straw for the horses. She closed her eyes, pulled the leftover blanket on top of her and decided not to care about the other two's breathing. One was steady and calm, one was quick and shaky. Mulan told herself that if Aurora was having a bad dream she would whimper, and then she was allowed to comfort her. But not before.

Then she heard a rustling. Someone moving in their sleep, she told herself. Then she felt Aurora's sweet scented breath on her face. She felt her lips ache, but did not let it get the best of her. Sleep. Sleep. Slee-

Her thoughts were interrupted by the heat of someone's fingers on her hand. The hand was put on the pillow so she knew it could only be Aurora. Still, she wished it was anyone but. She felt her knees start to shake, but with the will of her ancestors she bound her body outwards. Her insides were still having an earth quake.

She felt the fingers first make almost whispering circles with their tips across the back of her hand. Slowly they moved to between her thumb and index finger, lazily stroking. She heard Aurora's breath, quick on her face. She dared herself to open her eyes but could not do it, experiencing a fear she'd never come close to before. Then the fingers slowly turned Mulan's hand over and worked inside her hand, following her life lines and Mulan let out a soft whimper, her stomach and below aching with a searing hot pain she wanted never to feel again yet never to stop feeling.

In between her fingertips, soft and light and torturing her. She closed her eyes harder, then all at once they flew open, and were met by Aurora's piercing gaze. Her fingers stopped. They stared at each other, breathing unevenly. Mulan let her eyes go down to their hands, Aurora's fingertips still mingled with hers, and then up to Aurora's cleavage, where she could see the dress moving to the steady and heavy beating of her heart.

When she returned to Aurora's eyes they stopped looking like deer eyes and started looking like a wolf's. She moved her fingers again, and Mulan found her own moving together with them, mesmerized. Then Aurora's fingers moved up to her wrist, and Mulan's shivers were more evident. But one look at Aurora's face and she knew she wasn't the only one. And then Philip moved around in his sleep, mumbling something that sounded like princess, and the two snapped away from each other as if there's been a two headed viper in between them, attacking their eyes. Mulan couldn't stop shaking and she was feeling that heavy stinging in her throat again. Her whole body was burning as if she'd rolled around in the fire before going in. She lay still, listening to the trees and wind outside, and she could swear that she could hear the stars gossiping with each other. She didn't know how long she lay there, calming down her breathing and listening to anything that wasn't her own heartbeats or Aurora's whispering breaths… Maybe ten minutes, maybe forty. But then she bit her lip, closed her eyes harder and moved back a little, just enough to feel the warmth of her body in the space between them. She held her breath, dizzy with tiredness. Then she heard a rustle, and felt Aurora's back move against hers. She tensed, then leaned into the warmth and the comfort and the exhilaration of their touch. They didn't embrace, but the warmth of their closeness was enough. And finally, exhaustion took over her body and she fell into a deep sleep.

.

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><p>.<p>

**A/N: Oh, it's getting hot in here... Oh, I'm sorry, let me have this fluff! I just finished writing the last chapter, moahaha. Only two left. BUT I just can't get the next one finished. I'll try to work hard, promise.**

**Meanwhile, can you believe it's been such a longtime since Sleeping Warrior first happened? I can't. two years fly by. But let's face it. I don't watch OUAT anymore. I gave up once Aurora broke Mulan's heart. But in my head, I still ship them. Living happily ever after in storybrook with THEIR baby... *dreams***


	7. Leave

Part 7

_Triangles are my favorite shape  
>Three points where two lines meet<br>Toe to toe, back to back,  
>let's go my love; it's very late<em>

_._

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><p>.<p>

"It's been so nice to have you here, Mulan. I want you to know you can stay with us for however long you'd like. We have way too many rooms anyway." Philip chuckled happily. Mulan shared his happiness, but also a certain aversion to the idea. She was not about to become some kind of royal pet, or lodger, for that matter. She had stayed this long for Aurora. It had been two weeks since they had returned to the castle. Aurora had been happy, even though no one had been in it. They had made it work with food and clothes and such things. It was nothing compared to being lost in the woods.

Nothing had surely happened since that night in the tent. Mulan had told herself she had dreamed it. But the princess' looks were hard to ignore. They were seated round a smaller table in the kitchen, since they didn't feel it necessary to use the dining table when they were only three. And now, as she was slowly fading away, looking at her plate when Philip happily took Aurora's hand and squeezed it, she felt an enormous sorrow. Their fingers intertwined and all she could think of were the memory of the princess' fingers between hers. She lifted the cup and took a deep sip of her wine. Aurora had drunk her fair share tonight, too, which was evident in her pink cheeks, nose and chin. Her eyes smiled politely at Philip, and Mulan busied herself with putting her cup back down, but then she felt a sensation against the front of her shoe, almost spilling the wine across the table. She swallowed, daring a sneak peak at Aurora who now gave Philip's hand a kiss, before picking up her cutlery and cutting a piece of potatoes. Mulan looked down at her own plate as she felt Aurora's foot move up her boots, meeting the front of her leg. She pulled her hand down beneath the table only to grip the side of the chair in frustration.

"… I'm glad you have grown so close too, darling. Or what do you say, Mulan?" Mulan could hardly find her words while Aurora's, obviously shoeless foot, were moving up the side of her leg now, stroking.

"Uhm, yes." She mumbled. Luckily, Philip were also a little bit drunk and so, he accepted her answer. He started talking about something of the kingdom, and Mulan nodded, while looking over across the table at Aurora, trying to ask her what she was on about. Maybe she had the wrong leg…? That made her almost vomit, until she met the princess' eyes a second later. Aurora had the fork in her mouth, lips enclosed around the sharpness, smiling slightly as her eyes were staring intently at Mulan. This made the warrior truly loose her breath. And then Aurora put her head slightly on the side, before moving lazily even further up, brushing against her knee. Mulan closed her eyes for a second, before hurriedly pushing out her chair and standing up. Aurora almost slid down under the table, which could have been hilarious if Mulan was not so upset about the whole evening.

Philip who had been in the middle of a retelling, stopped talking and just stared at her in disbelief.

"I'm sorry, but I really need to go to bed. I do believe I'm not feeling too well."

"Oh, of course. It's probably the wine, I believe. Nasty stuff, if you get too much. You remember the Chinese liquor we drank at the One Eyed Dragon?" Mulan nodded, remembering the pub and the way Philip had vomited.

"Yes, that's most likely it. Well, goodnight Philip." She turned to Aurora, without meeting her gaze and with burning cheeks. "Princess." Aurora, blushing too, was in the process of getting back up on her chair, somewhat ungracefully, not meeting her eyes. Mulan hurriedly turned on her heels and all but ran up the stairs to her room.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

Mulan sat in front of her mirror, untangling her hair from all off the knots. She had kept it tied up for weeks so now it was a challenge to smooth it out. Her thoughts accidently strayed to the sensation of Aurora's foot against her leg and a shiver went up her spine, and she closed her eyes in pleasure for a second. Then her eyes flew open again and she stared into her own almond shaped eyes in the mirror. She put her hands on the table, gripping it until her knuckles went white. She leaned closer, trying to spot the source of her feelings of indecency, hoping to be able to rip them out with force if she could. But all she could see was her own dark brown eyes, staring back at her, dark with longing for the princess' touch.

She released the make-up table, leaning back on the chair and shaking her hair off her shoulders. Mulan instead tried to reason her way out of it, before it got out of hand.

"She is not the princess everyone believes her to be," she mumbled to herself. She truly wasn't. At first she had been a sleeping beauty, the picture of the perfect woman. Fair, thin, slow movements and a hushed way of speaking. But soon, in the absence of her prince, the true face of Aurora was revealed. In an awakened state the princess was anything but a calm beauty. She was so animated Mulan was not surprised that she had trouble sleeping. She was so full of life it was hard to see her asleep, except for when she was actually stuck in the land of dreaming.

When her prince wasn't there to watch she was rude. Impulsive. Uncontrollable. Haughty. It was as if her beauty could excuse any behavior. At first Mulan had wanted to strangle her because of her proud way of putting herself above everyone else. Because she was a princess. Because she was so beautiful. Because her prince had given her true loves' kiss. And Mulan was nothing but a woman who went around dressed as a man. A woman who obviously had to be in love with her prince. Who obviously had no chance, because now Aurora was awake.

"I know love when I see it," Mulan murmured to herself. She touched her own cheek. It turned out that Aurora had seen something Mulan herself had not yet understood. A little bud of a flower only starting out. Turns out it was not a flower. It was a tree full of them. Like the ones at home in her garden. Yīnghuā shù. Huge cherry trees, filled with pink flowers, letting petals fall, unbelievably like snow in spring. It was as if those trees started shedding the flowers each time Aurora mentioned Philip, but blooming again with each look or touch from the princess. A tree. Unmoving, rooted deep in her very soul.

And the little budding sprout inside her chest kept growing, a little each day, as she saw the other parts of Aurora. Her bravery. Determination. Self-sacrifice. Understanding. She saw the way her red cheeks would flare up when she was upset. How she became pompous when she was unsure of something. How she started biting her nails when she was nervous.

It had not been more than a half an hour since she left the dinner table when a knock was heard on the door.

"Mulan?"

"Don't come in, I'm… not decent!" She ran towards the door, slamming her back against. The other side was dead quiet for a couple of seconds.

"Are you ok, Mulan?" The warrior closed her eyes. Were they really going to pretend like nothing was going on between them? She didn't really have girlfriends but this couldn't possibly be a normal friendship.

"Why are you asking?" It was like she could feel the warmth of the princess through the door.

"Because… I can't sleep without you."

"Aurora, you can. You're just worried, and unsure, and you it's been so long since you and Philip where together in that wa-" She almost choked on those words, a hot burning slashing across her nose. Her eyes was closed, but she knew the tears were starting to well up. Thankfully, Aurora cut her off.

"Yes! It's been forever. And yes, Mulan he touches me. He does what a married couple would do. And I… I don't know why, but… all I can think about…" her voice started fading out. Mulan moved around and put the side of her face to the side instead. "Mulan. All I can think about is your hands." It was barely audible, but it was there. Mulan let her hand go up the wood. It was warm. But there was a huge oak door between them. And she just couldn't see a reality where this tree if feelings she had inside of her could ever exist in anyone else. So she took a deep breath and did the most horrible thing she'd ever done to Aurora. She pretended she hadn't heard the confession.

"I'm sorry. What did you say?" Silence.

"I'm really glad you two have found each other. Make sure you sleep in his arms. I've heard that is the best cure for nightmares. He can help you much better than I ever could."

Silence again. Then she could almost feel the whimper through the wood. Mulan pressed her hands to her chest to prevent them from ripping the door open and wrapping the princess in her arms.

"You're right, of course…" Aurora said, in a whisper. "We're together again. I'm just being silly. I'll go to him immediately."

"Well, goodnight." Silence. Then;

"Good night, Mulan." She heard the tapping of her footsteps disappearing down the corridor. Mulan let out a little moan, putting her hands over her face as she slid down onto the cold floor. The tree in her chest was losing its petals, sticking its branches out in-between her ribs as her one true love was getting into bed with another person.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

_"A loved one?"_  
><em>"We shall see."<em>

Every day in the castle had been a joy and Philip praised the friendship that had blossomed between his two ladies. Mulan had been given a room in the castle and spent all of her time at the couple's side. But for Mulan every night spent apart from Aurora was a little shard of her heart falling away. She knew that she could never be complete without Aurora knowing about her feelings but she was so scared to be rejected. She somehow knew she would not survive it.

When Robin offered her a place she knew she had but one choice. She could give herself a chance to be happy; to dare to believe in that mystical true love that people talked about. She knew that Aurora was her person – she just knew, somehow. Her one shot at happiness.

Or she could choose to be content with her life doing what she was good at, not disturbing what the couple had. Fighting for a greater cause. So she decided that if Aurora did not return this tree of feelings, she would join the band of heroes and bandits and swear never to see the couple ever again.

She stood on the edge for a long time, just watching her move around, mumbling sweet nothings to nourish the plants in her garden. She was so beautiful with her long, curly hair and kind eyes. When she noticed Mulan watching her she approached; showing with her whole being that she had missed her. Mulan was once again thrown back to the night a few days ago, the night before they had met Emma's husband. Aurora's words about her hands… Now they joined hands and she could feel Aurora's tight grip on her – like she never wanted to let her go.

Mulan knew that this was the time, and she took a shaky breath. But Aurora's radiating smile made her heart bang so hard in her chest it had to be bruising her ribcage.

"_Why are you smiling at me?"_

And then all chances of her happiness vanished just like that. Mulan had missed her chance and would never know how Aurora really felt. But she told herself that it had all been a delusion. Aurora could never feel that way about anyone but Philip, especially not a woman and obviously not about Mulan. Those words about her hands was just a delusion, brought on by lack of sleep. She seemed to be sleeping fine now.

_A baby_. A revelation that should be a moment filled with joy. Her heart shattered into pieces and the tree withered and died. Aurora embraced her and she inhaled that smell of lavender, roses and burnt sugar almonds, the one she had become addicted to over the last few months in the castle. She was frozen in time again and she felt like this moment of pain would never pass, never numb. It would live on in her memory forever more. And there was only one solution.

"I'm joining Robin Hood's band."

"What…? You're leaving us?"

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

Aurora watched her warrior walk away from her.

She felt as if with each step her heart was being torn into shreds. Lately she had been so sad about not having Mulan to herself. When she'd tried to explain this to Philip he had dismissed it. Honored their friendship but, now that she had him, she needn't worry. Mulan needed to be free.

She was so happy about the child, really. Something good had come from those shameful, painful nights of pretending only to please her beloved. But the first one she'd wanted to tell about the baby, before anyone else, was her best friend. Philip did not yet know. And even though Mulan hid it after half a second, Aurora had had the time to read the devastated expression on her friend's face, the deep sorrow in her eyes. She could feel it as she hugged her. She had been shivering.

With every step Mulan took away from her, Aurora felt like the ground was pulling her down another inch. She kept staring after the warrior like she was the last thing to cling on in this lonely world of the unknown.

The tears started spilling long after Mulan had gone. Aurora was still rooted to the spot, questioning herself. How could her feelings of joy over the baby have turned into such despair? She sunk to the ground, her whole body caught in an earthquake like no other. She was crying tears that she imagined would bruise the floor when dripping onto it. Only one person could have consoled her in this state. She gasped for air.

It was like she was no longer in the breathing world.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

The fire had long since turned to burning embers. Mulan had offered to take the first watch together with Robin himself. She'd believed he didn't trust her just yet but he had soon after fallen asleep against a tree on the other side of the fire, facing the forest, snoring quite loudly. Maybe he was pretending, giving her some space. She appreciated it, whichever way it was.  
>Mulan wondered if he'd seen it in her. If he'd known from just watching her that she had no chance. If he'd somehow smelled her longing after another woman on her breath or on her clothes. She felt like that herself – like she radiated the love she tried to hide behind her thick armor.<p>

Now Mulan leaned her head back and stared up at the stars. The pain was still as raw as before, and she felt slightly nauseated. But she believed it was just as well. Aurora would forget about her soon and she and Philip would be left to raise a baby that she would make sure never to meet. She wished they had never met that time with Philip. Then she would have been spared all of this useless hope and all of the pain.

But she could still remember the look in Aurora's eyes… and as she closed her own now, breathing in the cold night air that smelled of firewood, earth and wet leaves, she could still feel the pain in them. She gave herself a second to feel the touch of the princess fingers in the palm of her hand. Then she opened her eyes again and looked at the moon hiding behind the darkened branches; wringing as if in pain, just like the one in her chest, towards the sky. This was her life now and no matter what she did, she would never be able to make Aurora love her.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

**A/N: I'm evil. I'm sorry. This is horrible. You might recognize the last part from one of my one shots. It's the one that gave me this idea in the frist pace, so I let it be a part of this story. And yeah... This is the last chapter. **

**BUT of course I'm writing an epilogue. Their story can't end like in the show. I don't even watch anymore. Which sucks. I wanted my gay princesses. And I didn't get none. So I'm fucking getting them in my own fanfic! Get ready!**


	8. Epilogue: Finding

**EPILOGUE**

_Toe to toe, back to back,  
>let's go my love; it's very late<br>'Til morning comes, let's tessellate _

Aurora was sitting out in the grass while the crickets were singing and the fireflies buzzed around her, reflecting in the darkening pond. It was twilight and the darkness was taking over quickly. She let her eyes go to the skyline of trees and thought about her and Philip's fight before he left for the magic kingdom on some prince business he had to do. He'd said she needed to go talk to someone, preferably Jiminy Cricket, since he was the town psychologist. She heaved a sigh and shook her head to herself.

"What can he tell me that I don't already know?" she mumbled quietly to herself. She had found a nice home here in Storybrook. They had gotten a big yellow house with a huge garden and even a small pond where they kept frogs. The animals kept coming to them, just like with all the other princesses' gardens, as if they were still in the enchanted forest. Aurora knew better. She had since arriving been stung by bees, kicked by a deer and scared a little family of rabbits half to death. Nowadays she stayed put when the wild animals approached, just watching while they studied her, always seeming to wonder why she smelled extra sweet. She would sing to them sometimes, the song she sang to the wolf once, making them blink at her and sharpen their ears. But they would never stay for long.

Mr. Cricket and Pongo were both sweet characters, but she knew by heart there was nothing that could cure her heart ache. Nothing but the thing she could never have. It had been three years now. At first being turned into a flying monkey and arriving to Storybrook and raising Philip Junior had preoccupied her enough to keep her mind off the person still in the Magic Kingdom. But every time she saw Robin at the grocery store, or met up with Emma or Snow, her memories would flood her and she would feel herself freeze. As if Elsa had accidently frozen her heart, and she felt that cold, sharp longing in her whole body, so strongly that she had to hug little Philly close to her chest to make sure not to drop him. After some time even her very own prince had started to remind her of nothing but her long lost best friend. Philip of course had no idea what was wrong. Once he had brushed on the subject, merely saying; "Oh, I wish Mulan was here to talk to you, she always seemed to know you inside out…" He had then walked away without another word, leaving Aurora short of breath, pressing her hand to her chest as if she was having a slight heart attack.

People say distance makes the heart grow fonder but in Aurora's cause it was rather making her heart grow weary and weak. It had gone so far that Aurora refused to leave the house for anything but the important things like shopping for food or helping Snow out with babysitting. She had grown so isolated that Philip had started to seriously worry for her mental health. He wanted nothing more than to have his perfect, polite and charming princess back. But truth be told the perfect image of his princess was the girl in the woods, singing to herself. The perfect princess was the sleeping beauty, sleeping soundly while the rest of the world kept on going without her. She had never existed in an awakened state.

"Mommy, mommy!" little Philly's voice was shrill in the quiet evening. He came running from the front of the garden. He was a good boy, happy and kind to every living thing, with golden locks and green, wide eyes. He was wearing his wooden sword and helmet, almost tripping on his bare feet as he hurried up to Aurora who smiled at him. Philly was the only one worth living for anymore. If it hadn't been for him Aurora would have most likely left this world to be engulfed in the flames of her dreams.

The three year old bumped into her shoulder, grabbing at her arm and jumping up and down. Aurora laughed and told him to calm down in order to hear what he was saying. He stopped, grinned and showed his wobbly baby teeth while taking a deep breath like Emma had taught him.

"There is someone here to see you. Some man!" Aurora felt her heart jump in her chest, slightly worried about a man talking to her son, but she was quickly calmed by Philly's next words. "And Emma and Henny too!" Philly had a hard time pronouncing the R in Henry's name, which simply made him Henny. Philly idolized Henry more than he did his own father, and always wanted to play with him. Henry was much older and obviously had other interests (girls, for example) but he was always happy to play with Philly and had the most amazing patience. Aurora was so grateful for him; she could have never imagined the boy in her land of flames hanging out at her house and taking care of her child.

"Well, then I have to meet this man you're talking about," Aurora chuckled while she let her son pretend to use all his strength to pull her up into a standing position. She smiled, boy in hand, as she heard the footsteps in the grass behind her. And when she turned she nearly fell back down again.

A few feet away from her was a warrior dressed in a dark armor, a crimson red cloak and a helmet. To conceal the face there was some sort of coat of mail hanging across her mouth, leaving only the eyes to look out. But those were the pair of almond shaped, black ponds she would know anywhere. The crickets seemed to be holding their breath while the fireflies buzzed close the warriors face, reflecting in the eyes as well as they had in the dark pond. The person didn't say anything, but didn't have to. It was all evident in her face.

Aurora felt her knees buckle and her lips tremble in disbelief. Still she whispered it.

"_Mulan_…"

"Mommy, you're hurting me!" Philly whined and Aurora realized she had been squeezing his hand hard.

"I'm sorry, darling…" she murmured, letting go and taking a step towards Mulan. She didn't know what to say.

"Is Mulan's a man's name?"

Mulan finally spoke up, making Philly curiously look at her. She pulled off her helmet, revealing her beautiful face and long, jet black hair under the helmet.

"No, Philip. It's a woman's name." She looked at him with a little smile, before looking back at Aurora. They stared at each other for another minute while Philly merely said "Ooookay…?".

That's when Emma spoke up, saving the situation.

"When Mulan showed up, I thought me and Henry would come along to ask if maybe Philly wanted to stay at our place tonight. He already got his pajamas and toothbrush there anyway."

Philly howled in happiness, batting his sword wildly into the air, knocking back his helmet onto the grass. Aurora broke eye contact with Mulan and gave Emma a very grateful look.

"Oh, would you? I mean, that would be wonderful…" She let her eyes go back to Mulan, who was still looking at her intently. Philly ran into her legs, nearly tackling her and put kisses on her wrist while shouting "Goodnight, goodnight, goodnight!". Aurora moved her hand to ruffle her hair and a second later Philly was riding piggyback on Henry out of the garden. Emma picked up the helmet before pausing to touch Aurora's arm.

"Have a good night," she murmured, glancing knowingly at Mulan. Aurora met Emma's gaze and squeezed her hand back.

"Thank you," she said, barely audible, as Emma smiled, nodded and left without another word.

And they were both still standing as the footsteps slowly died away, and the crickets who had once been holding their breath were now having an orchestra for them, ear deafening. Then Mulan finally said:

"Princess…" Aurora was halfway across the grass already, and Mulan dropped her helmet to catch her as she threw herself into her warrior's arms. She wrapped her arms so tightly around the princess that she almost worried she might hurt her, while she felt the princess start to rock with sobs against her chest. She swallowed hard herself not to cry, before taking a deep breath.

"So, where's Philip?"

.

.

Aurora was still red and puffy eyed from crying so hard at seeing Mulan returned to her. She still could hardly believe it. It was almost as if she couldn't let her eyes stray too far from Mulan or she was afraid she would lose her again and it would all prove to be just a dream. She poured the wine with shaky hands into two big glasses. This was something she had welcomed when moving here. Wine was cheap and easy to come by, and could be drunk at any given occasion. She loved it.

She picked up the glasses and turned to Mulan, now with her hair let loose and dressed in nothing but a tank top and a pair of pajama bottoms. She looked slightly uncomfortable in her new clothes. Aurora herself was wearing a nightgown and a cardigan; they had been standing outside in each others' arms for so long that she had started shivering in the cold September night. Now they were both changed and some wine was defiantly called for.

"Here," she mumbled and handed over a glass to Mulan. They both sat down on the sofa-bed Aurora had folded out and put sheets in, while they talked. Aurora scooted closer to Mulan, so that their knees were touching, before taking a sip from her wine. Mulan did the same, catching Aurora smiling at her in disbelief over her glass.

"What is it?" Mulan asked. Aurora chuckled slightly, shaking her head but never looking away.

"It's just that… I can't believe you are here. Finally here. With me."

"I know, it's been so long… you sure have built a life here." Mulan tried to avoid the feeling of change. She looked around the room, finding a book lying on the table next to the sofa.

"So you're reading still… That's good." Aurora blushed and took the book from Mulan.

"Uhm, well, yes. This is mostly research though." Mulan smiled and read the title aloud from between Aurora's fingers.

"Fingersmith? What does that mean?"

"It translates to a thief," Aurora murmured. "It's about a woman who is in a conspiracy with a man to become a lady's maid and to steal that lady's money… But instead she falls in love with her." She hugged the book before looking up, trying to see what Mulan was thinking. She looked baffled.

"There are those kinds of books in this world?" Aurora chuckled.

"Oh just you wait, there are plenty. I must admit I'm addicted to them now. Truth be told this is my third time reading it."

"Third?" Mulan almost choked on her wine and had to put her glass down.

"Mhhmm." She smiled to herself before putting the book away, trying to get the courage up. "Truth be told it reminds me a little of us." Mulan stared at her, eyebrows furrowed. She seemed to decide not to understand.

"I'm assuming the two of them are very good friends then," Mulan murmured before changing the subject. "You're very lucky, Aurora. Philip has really made sure to take care of you…"

But after all those years of lying to herself about her true feelings, of avoiding the reality of what was in front of her… finally being in a world where there was nothing wrong with being in love with a woman, Aurora could no longer bring herself to pretend. She put her glass of wine down in one swift motion.

"You don't understand Mulan…" She grabbed her hands. "You are the reason I'm even here today. You are the reason I never gave up. You are the reason I kept on breathing."

Mulan looked away at that. She hadn't come here to ruin what Aurora and Philip had built during these years. She had just needed to see Aurora, to touch her and feel that she was okay. It had been the only thing on her mind, which she had tried to refuse, but in the end had not been able to stop.

Aurora watched Mulan's face, covered with old scars and bruises that were fresher. She'd been living the life of a criminal and so her lovely skin was scarred. When she reached out to touch Mulan's face, the warrior shakes her head.

"Please don't…"

"Please let me…" Aurora mumbled quietly. Mulan closed her eyes and tried to loosen up the knot inside her stomach. It had been so long since she had allowed herself the touch of another. She'd tried to stay away from other people's closeness, so that she could keep the memory of Aurora's last farewell touch on her skin. She nodded softly then opened her eyes.

"Alright." Aurora traced the scar on Aurora's left eyebrow with her fingertips. She placed her other hand on the other side of her face, tracing a pink, half-healed bruise on her cheek. Aurora traced it with her index finger all the way down to the warriors chin. She studied the old wounds while Mulan studied Aurora. The princess has a soft wrinkle between her eyebrows, like she wasn't sure what to say about her battle scars. Mulan was honestly quite proud of them. She didn't spend time studying them or anything, she was anything but vain, but she did think that it made her look handsome when she caught her reflection . Loyal and honorable.

Aurora's cheeks were that rosy pink Mulan remembered so well, but the feelings in the princess' eyes were gone. They were like deep, dark holes that didn't give away what could be hiding in there. Like they had gone back to that enchanted sleep when forced into the ordinary life. Mulan knew that Aurora was meant for something extraordinary, and sadness seeped into her chest.

Mulan had gotten better at controlling her emotions as well but feeling Aurora's hands on her was something she had a very hard time handling. She managed to control her breathing, but a burning hot coal was rolling around in her middle. She didn't know her scars by heart, but she was sure there weren't as many as Aurora implied with her fingertips. She was framing Mulan's face with her hands now. The fingers moved in soft circled under her eyebrows and then traced down to touch just beneath her bottom lip. Mulan felt herself losing patience and control. She closed her eyes in frustration.

Aurora traced her fingers across Mulan's rough edges. It tickled so incredibly in her fingertips, sending searing warmth down her arms, straight into her chest, messing up her breathing. Every breath was a breath of fire, like she had become the dragon that Effi could turn into. She knew her touching Mulan like this was anything but appropriate but she just didn't see the lines anymore. They were blurred out by years of longing. Touching her didn't seem to even be enough. She couldn't stop.

Mulan suddenly lost her patience and took a hold of one of Aurora's hands, and gripped it tightly, steering it away from her face. Aurora looked up.

"What are you doing, _princess_?" She tried to ask politely, but her annoyance showed, she could hear it. And Aurora didn't have an answer. She just felt a hard thump in her chest when she heard Mulan calling her princess. Mulan's words both hurt her, since she didn't seem to call her by name anymore, and warmed her, because it brought back so many memories.

She shook her head very slowly, on the verge of tears, and made a quick motion to embrace Mulan.

Mulan however was on her tiptoes so to speak, in fight or flight mode, and when the princess moved towards her she reacted instinctively to make defend herself. Her lion heart pounded hard in her chest, as if it was that of a rabbit, as she realized she had made a maneuver that pushed Aurora onto her back on the covers… with Mulan straddling her, pushing her hand up above her head.

"Oh…!" Aurora blushed furiously, closing her eyes in surprise and pleasure for half a second. A whimper escaped her mouth.

Mulan saw Aurora trying to blink it away, but her feelings had suddenly surfaced. It was impossible to miss. _Wanting._ It was so obvious that Mulan let out a breath in surprise.

She just stared down at the princess underneath her, taking in the feel of her fragile body in close contact with her own. Her thighs hummed in pleasure and Mulan quickly grew completely red in the face.

"I'm so sorry…I…"

She moved off her friend and the sofa-bed and walked a few paces away, leaning against the window sill. Her head was screaming: D_on't follow me, don't follow me!_

"Mulan, I…" of course she followed her. Mulan heard the rustling of the princess moving off the bed, and the quiet intake of breath as her naked feet met the cold floor. She hid her eyes behind her hand, trying to control her shaking.

For once Aurora knew exactly what she wanted to do to Mulan, but she needed to know her friend was alright first and foremost. She reached out with her hand to touch her arm.

"I shouldn't have pushed you like this, just arriving here in this world…" She swallowed hard. "I'll leave you alone…" Mulan couldn't stop herself. She once again reacted instinctively to her touch. She turned around, took Aurora's face in her hands and stared into her eyes. Their noses were touching.

"Mulan!" Aurora gasped, her heart seeming to flat-line. Then the warrior pushed her lips against the princess mouth. Aurora gasped again, feeling as if she was bursting at the seams. Then she put her arms around the warrior's waist, pulling her closer and kissing her back. Soon their tongues entangled and Mulan walked the princess backwards until her back hit the glass door.

Aurora was burning up. Despite the cold glass pressing through her nightgown she felt like she had swallowed the sun. Mulan was kissing her. Mulan was finally here, kissing her.

The warriors hand crept down towards Aurora's thighs, caressing her skin, making goosebumps appear all over the princess' body. She couldn't help but moan as she pressed herself towards Mulan.

Aurora left Mulan's mouth, pushed some of her for once, let loose hair, letting her damp lips trace lines beneath the warrior's cheekbone.

"Aurora…" Mulan whimpered. Aurora's fingers were digging into Mulan's hips, making her do nothing but push her leg between Aurora's. When Aurora got down to Mulan's collarbone she couldn't pronounce her name anymore, they were merely deep, hitched breathing. Aurora leaned back, head against the glass and looked up at Mulan. Her long, dark eyelashes splashed onto her cheeks like spilled ink. When she opened her almond shaped eyes they were dark holes of longing. She knew her own mirrored them.

"That last night in the castle… I wanted to tell you I wanted this." She couldn't hold it in. "I've missed you too much."

Mulan nodded, blinking at the pain. "I was going to do the same, when you told me about being pregnant…" Aurora's heart ached at the pain she could see splashing across Mulan's face at the memory.

"I don't want you to ever leave again…" she whispered, not letting go of the warriors gaze for even a moment. Mulan looked scared to death at that, and it seemed to sober her up. Even if Aurora could feel her legs trembling, Mulan placed her hands on the door on either side of Aurora, pushing herself a step away.

"I think we've made a mistake, princ-" Aurora lashed out, lifted her hand and grabbed the warriors chin. Mulan looked at her, shock evident.

"Don't you _dare_ call me princess again, Mulan. I want to hear my name."

"I…" she averted her eyes. "What we're doing… this isn't right. I just…"

"Mulan. Say it." She was staring at Mulan so intently that she had to meet her eyes. When she did, tears started forming in them.

"Aurora." She breathed, barely an audible whisper leaving her lips. Aurora felt her heart burst open, as if a hundred butterflies had burst out of their cocoons at the same time.

"Every time I hear you say my name, it's like a thorn in my heart." She said, murmuring, not letting go of those black holes. A tear escaped Mulan's eyes, rolling down. Aurora removed her grip on her chin, to wipe it away with her thumb.

"Aurora…" Mulan said again, the love evident in each syllable. Aurora let her inner wolf take over again. She knew exactly what she wanted and now she was going to get it.

"Mulan." She grabbed a hold of the warriors hips and steered her backwards. The warrior stumbled onto the bed, sitting down, almost falling off, eyes huge, tears spilling down.

"Aurora, what are you-" her words got caught up in her throat as Aurora, smiling that cheeky smile, untied the ribbons at her chest. Mulan trembled. The princess shrugged off her clothes, standing before her in nothing but a pair of lace underwear. Then she approached the bed, climbing on top of Mulan, who was alternatively staring at her face and her bossom. She had put her hands on the duvet, shivering as Aurora straddled her.

"Mulan…" Aurora lifted one of the warriors hands, putting it on her breast. "Just touch me." And Mulan did. Aurora pushed Mulan back on the bed, crawling in under the duvet together. She tugged at Mulan's tank top, and she worriedly took it off, nipples hardened and goosebumps from her shoulders down to her toes. Aurora took a finger, tracing it down inbetween her breasts, down to her waiste, making Mulan arch her back and moan deeply. The pajama bottoms were soon off too.

Then Aurora let her hands trace the warriors thighs. Mulan removed her hands off Aurora to grab the bed sheet. She was breathing hard, raggedly.

"I…I…" Aurora climbed over her again, drawing the blankets up around them.

"Shhh… It's okay. Then she let her hand tangle in Mulan's dark hair in between her legs, computing her lips, feeling Mulan's moan vibrate through her mouth. Suddenly Mulan's hands were on her back, pressing her closer. She was obviously not use to be underneath, being dealt with. Aurora enjoyed for once bossing the warrior around. She left her mouth only to grab her wrists, pushing them up above her head. Then she kissed the warriors neck, under loud protests, before letting go of the hands only to slowly creeps down to kissing her breasts.

Philip was the last thing on her mind in these moments. She knew she and Mulan would have to talk about it at some point, but she could never be with him. Not after this. Not after having Mulan, finally in her arms. They would have to share Philly, just like Emma and Regina. They had worked it out just fine. And obviously it wouldn't matter if they were two women bringing up the little baby girl, after all… after all, Aurora herself had been brought up by four fairies, and she had turned out pretty great. And she realized those lesbian novels sure had educated her as she used her tongue and fingers to excite the warrior, turned to nothing but a shivering body underneath her.

"Aurora…!" The sound of her name made her shiver. And hearing her name whispered by the warrior again and again, gave her waves of pleasure like nothing else. Here, in the arms of her warrior she knew everything would be alright… she knew that nothing else mattered.

**A/N: Not too cheesy I hoped? I just wanted to write them the happy ending, with some smut. I actually took away some. Just ending with sex didn't seem right. Haha, so I'm leaving you guys hanging. Hope it was okay. Please leave feedback, I'd actually like to write more about Philly and Mulan returning to Storybrook, but in that case in another fanfic. Let me know!**


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